


Heart Mining

by cestlavieminako



Category: Kamen Rider Saber
Genre: Canon Divergence, Father/Son Incest, Kento dealing with years upon years of sexual assault, M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, canon divergence from episode 10, he is very traumatized and finding out the truth about Calibur doesn't help, heavy focus on Kento's trauma, obviously spoilers for episode 10 of Saber, spoilers for episode 10 and up of Saber
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:41:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27610172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestlavieminako/pseuds/cestlavieminako
Summary: Finding out that Calibur wasn't his father should have given Kento some relief, but instead, it did the exact opposite.What if the darkness didn't consume Kento? What if Touma's feelings created a miracle that saved his dearest friend's life?This is a canon divergence from episode 10, veering right away from canon after episode 15 and going a whole different route, focusing on Kento's past trauma and trying to heal as best he can from it.
Comments: 46
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **I AM ONCE AGAIN ASKING YOU TO READ THE TAGS**
> 
> This is going to be a really heavy series focusing on Kento's trauma. This first part definitely has some very uncomfortable content in a flashback, so proceed with caution if anything in the tags is a trigger or anything you're not comfortable with. 
> 
> I know I've written a few fics that touch on the subject of Kento's father sexually assaulting him over the years, but this one is going more in depth with Kento recalling past occurrences in detail. 
> 
> Maybe I'm going a bit overboard, but I want to make absolutely sure I'm putting enough warning out there in case folks skip reading the tags. Episode 10 giving us Calibur's true identity just opened up a whole new world of ideas, and I really want to tell this story while making sure to give ample warning in case this isn't anyone's cup of tea.

“I said you would understand one day.”

No, Kento thought, his grip tightening on his sword. Somehow, finding out that Kamijou—not his father—was Calibur, made even less sense and raised more questions. Was his father _dead_? Had Kamijou killed him? Kento had seen his father that day, 15 years ago, regarding him coolly from within Calibur’s helmet.

“Your father most certainly betrayed you.”

Kento shouldn’t have wanted to know his father’s whereabouts as badly as he did. Not after what he’d done. And yet, Kamijou’s casual words threw him into a blinding rage, and before anyone could stop him, Kento transformed and hurled himself at Kamijou, now once again hidden by Calibur’s dark armor. Armor that had given Kento countless nightmares over the years. He wasn’t going to allow his fear to rule him like this. He _couldn’t_. He didn’t dare make the others suspicious. There was no way he could let them find out the truth.

Especially Touma.

Kento knew he was fighting poorly, not a single one of his sloppy attacks making contact as Calibur easily batted them aside with his own blade. He did struggle just a bit with one of Espada’s swings, and Kento pressed as hard as he could, desperate to inflict even _some_ small amount of damage in exchange for the turmoil he was experiencing.

“Your father _did_ betray you…but you haven’t realized just _how_ , have you?” Calibur inquired.

“He betrayed the Sword Of Logos…all of us,” Kento spat, pressing harder, but it felt as though Calibur were holding his attack back with minimal effort.

Damn him..!

“You don’t understand, do you, boy?” Calibur murmured, knocking Espada back a few more feet from the others, before swinging his sword at the young swordsman, noticing how he struggled to hold the attack back. “You realize that it wasn’t him the entire time, don’t you?”

“What..?”

A soft chuckle echoed from within Calibur’s helmet. “Hayato and I were such close friends back then. ‘What’s mine is yours’, he would always tell me.” Calibur pressed harder against Kento’s blade, leaning a few inches closer. “That, of course, included you.”

Kento felt himself freeze, even though he knew it was too dangerous to react, but he simply could not ignore Calibur’s words.

“You couldn’t tell when it was no longer him, could you?” Calibur chuckled. “You poor thing.”

“Shut up!” Kento shouted, planning to let loose with another attack, another Book, _anything_ to make this vile man shut his mouth!

But that one moment was all Calibur needed, and all it took was one swift strike to send Espada flying back toward his companions, his transformation coming undone as he crashed to the ground.

Calibur didn’t wait around to see if any of the others would try to fight him, disappearing swiftly into the darkness.

*

Kento had ignored the others, dragging himself to his feet and limping away. He couldn’t be near them right now; the mere thought that one of them would try to speak to him, to reassure him, was pulling him closer to a panic attack.

Of course, they all thought Kento was simply worried about his father, or he was angry and confused as the rest of them surely were. Except Touma…he hadn’t known Kamijou, not truly. 

All this time, ever since Touma had taken up the sacred sword, Calibur had seemed rather fixated on him. Was it simply because he was using the power that Kamijou himself had once wielded? Or was it for something far more sinister?

_What’s mine is yours._

Suddenly, Kento had a hard time drawing in a proper breath, and his fingers closed around the front of his robe as he found himself sinking to his knees.

He wouldn’t put it past Kamijou to go after Touma for something like that. Not if…if what he said was true.

God…how long _had_ it been Kamijou? Kento truly had no way of knowing. It had always been Calibur. There had been no difference in mannerisms, and his voice had been altered from within the helmet just as it was now.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm himself so he could draw in a proper breath, but it was next to impossible to think about being calm when he had just found out that his father had more or less offered his own son’s body to his friend.

Kento’s father had always been busy, as a swordsman, just as Kento was now. More often than not, he would be away from home for days, weeks, sometimes even months. He wasn’t home when Kento’s mother had fallen ill. Kento had done his best to step up as the man of the house while his father was away, but he’d only been a child. Logos had sent a healer to help her manage the worst of her pain, but her illness had been too far advanced, and she’d died quietly in her sleep one night. Kento’s father had been away on an important mission at the time, but he’d returned as soon as the enemy was defeated. At that time, Kento had felt that he hadn’t seen his father in what had felt like forever. Something about him had seemed different, yet if Kento had been asked to explain how, he wouldn’t have been able to say. His father had looked and sounded the same as always, but something had just felt…odd.

That had been the first time he’d touched Kento’s hair like he had, running his fingers through it, brushing against his ear. Something in the touch had made Kento want to run away for reasons he couldn’t fathom, but…that would have been rude, wouldn’t it? 

Kento had been offered a room at Logos, since he would be alone when his father went off on yet another mission. It would be safer, and he could begin lessons for when he would take his place as a swordsman when he grew older. Ogami-san had decided to appoint himself as Kento’s honorary father, even though he’d also been assigned as his mentor. He was much more free-spirited than Kento’s father, which took some getting used to, but Kento had appreciated the gesture.

Time had passed, and the day had come when Kento’s father was revealed to have betrayed them. Kento hadn’t wanted to believe that such a thing could be true, but he had been there. He had seen the purple Rider, Calibur, had _known_ that it was his father within the suit, and Kento had been terrified that he would die.

But Calibur had simply walked away, leaving Kento trembling in fear.

Kento’s training had begun in earnest after that day. His days had been filled with studying, fencing lessons, training until every muscle in his body had screamed for mercy. He’d grown tall and slender, lean from his continuous and diligent training, and he’d found it odd when he'd look at himself in the mirror. He’d felt as though the years were racing by, and before he’d realized it, Ogami-san had been leading him into a surprise party for his 18th birthday. 

When he’d blown out the candles on his cake, he’d wished that his father could have been there to see the diligent young man Kento had become. He hadn’t want to sound like a child, but he missed his only remaining family. And, perhaps it had been selfish of him, but he’d also wished that he knew what had become of Touma. Since that day, he had all but disappeared. Everyone at Logos was kind, but none of them were truly his friends. Kento missed those carefree days, reading books with Touma and acting out their favorite parts.

Kento hadn’t known if it had been due to his maudlin thoughts, or perhaps from the wine that he’d had during the celebration, but his dreams had been troubling that night. 

He’d left the window open because he’d felt flushed before he’d gone to bed, and when he’d heard a noise and opened his eyes, his father had been standing there. Kento knew it had to be a dream immediately; his father hadn’t been spotted in quite some time, and he certainly wouldn’t be climbing through Kento’s bedroom window. He surely didn’t know where Kento was, but it wouldn’t have been difficult to figure out. Of course he’d be at Logos.

But there he’d been nonetheless, crossing the room to sit on the edge of Kento’s bed, and for just a moment, he’d looked like the man Kento remembered. Before things had begun to feel odd.

His gaze had shifted then, roaming over Kento’s body, and that strange feeling had returned, so dark and _wrong_ that Kento had immediately tried to get himself to wake up, even as he’d tried to put some distance between himself and his father.

He’d found himself being pinned to the mattress, his boxers yanked unceremoniously off his body, and he’d tried to shove his father away, but his hands were quickly caught in his father’s strong grip and pressed to the mattress above his head.

Then something had begun pushing insistently between his ass cheeks, beginning to push into his body, a hand pressing firmly over Kento’s mouth before he’d even made a sound. 

It hurt. Whatever it was, it hurt, and it had barely even entered him, and his father…

Kento had seen his father’s hips moving forward, and whatever had been stretching him so uncomfortably had gone in _deeper_ , and he’d whined in discomfort, his father’s weight atop him all but negating his pitiful attempts at struggling. His father had grunted softly, his hips moving again, and Kento had felt himself being filled even more…

His father…he wasn’t…was he..? No...this was wrong, this _couldn't_ be his father, doing something so obviously _wrong!_

The pain and discomfort had been all Kento could focus on, the tears leaking from his eyes blurring his vision, and everything had felt oddly detached until his father had groaned loudly, and a wave of unpleasant warmth had shot inside of Kento’s body. 

Darkness had prickled at the edges of his vision, and Kento had hoped he would wake up from this nightmare now. He hadn’t wanted to be there anymore. 

Before he’d lost consciousness, he’d felt his father’s fingers running through his hair, and a whisper so close to his ear. 

“Look at you, Kento…all grown up.” 

Kento had jerked awake, shooting up into a sitting position and wincing as his sore muscles protested at the sudden movement. 

His room…he’d been alone. Of course; it had only been a horrible dream, although he couldn't fathom what would have made him dream about something like that. Even so, he’d risen from the bed and closed his window, locking it as an afterthought, before he’d crawled back into bed, drawing the sheet tightly around himself. 

It hadn’t been real. 

His body only ached because of training, the same as every day. 

A shiver ran through his body as he’d felt a phantom hand running through his hair. 

He’d rolled over, desperate to quiet his mind and go to sleep, hopefully forgetting about that disgusting nightmare by dawn. The sheets had felt cool and comforting against his bare skin, and Kento had sucked in a shuddering breath when he’d recalled that he hadn’t been naked when he’d gone to bed. 

* 

Kento shivered against the cold air on the rooftop, feeling yet another tear trickle down his cheek. 

That had been the only time he’d known for certain that it was his father. That first, awful, unexpected time. Every other time, it had been Calibur, and it had been much more unpleasant. Kento had never considered that intercourse would be possible while transformed; Calibur’s suit had acted like an extension of the wearer’s body, producing an erect phallus with seemingly no difficulty, right down to the terrible amount of semen that had shot into Kento at the end. 

He felt bile rising in his throat. How many times had it been Kamijou? In the long run, it really changed nothing. Regardless of who it had been, it had been terrible, wrong, the worst kind of betrayal, and it had gone on for _so long_ , and now… 

A hand closed around his shoulder, and Kento, caught up in his thoughts, slapped the hand away, drawing himself into a ball, unable to keep from shaking. 

_He followed me here, he found me, I’m not safe anywhere..!_

“Kento?” 

That voice… 

Kento lowered his arm, a wave of relief rushing through him so intensely that he felt lightheaded for a moment. It wasn’t Calibur—it was Touma. Kento had been dimly aware of Touma talking to him, asking if he was all right, after that fight with Calibur, but he’d been all but drowning in anger, shock, and disgust from Kamijou’s words. 

Something was definitely wrong with Kento, Touma thought. Aside from his reaction to Touma touching his shoulder, his gaze looked slightly unfocused, and as Touma watched, a tear ran down his cheek. Touma could understand if Kento had simply wanted to be alone to process finding out that his father was still missing, but something felt…wrong. As if there were more to it. 

Then Kento’s eyes were drifting closed, and he toppled forward into Touma’s arms, his body still trembling. Whether it was from shock or the chill in the early evening air, Touma wasn’t certain, but he couldn’t simply leave Kento alone at a time like this. 

He gathered his friend’s slight frame in his arms, and headed back to the bookshop. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I have finally returned to continue this. Partly out of spite of the direction the show is taking, but mostly because I love Kento and Touma and I want Kento to have someone there for him to help him through things. This might wind up becoming a super tender slowburn, but that's fine, right? Of course it is.

When Kento finally began to swim back into consciousness, he knew immediately that he was no longer on the rooftop. For one thing, it was much warmer. And, if he wasn’t mistaken, he wasn’t wearing his coat or his boots. The fact that he’d not noticed someone taking off pieces of his clothing sent a small twinge of alarm through his body.

Soft footfalls were heading in his direction, and Kento struggled to feign the deep, even breathing of sleep. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest, he feared that alone would give him away.

He felt the mattress he was laying on dip slightly, and then fingers were moving through his hair, pushing it back from where it had fallen around his eyes.

Kento simply couldn’t help it; a sound of alarm echoed in his throat, and he managed to get an arm out from beneath the covers, swinging blindly at whoever was so close to him, even as he pushed himself into a sitting position and opened his eyes, ready for a fight.

Touma was leaning away from him, a perplexed look on his face, and Kento sucked in a surprised breath.

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to startle you,” Touma said. “I brought you back to my apartment…it was so cold on the roof, and you didn’t look well.”

That was an understatement, Kento thought to himself, then he couldn’t help but feel ashamed. Touma was simply trying to help. He had no idea what was really bothering Kento, and Kento certainly wasn’t going to offer to explain it to him. He didn’t particularly want to be around anyone right now, yet he couldn’t make his weary limbs cooperate. He’d definitely had a panic attack on the roof, and he’d most likely been in shock ever since he’d heard Kamijou’s declaration. 

“You can stay and rest as long as you need to,” Touma continued. “Are you hungry? I could make something…”

Kento shook his head, pushing the covers off. “I should go back…”

“Where? To brood on the roof? Kento…” Touma trailed off, sighing softly. “I can tell that you don’t want to talk, and I don’t want to pry. And I’m not going to say something like ‘things will work out’ or ‘it’ll be ok’. I doubt you want to hear anything like that. But…we _are_ friends, and I’d like to help you, however I can. Even if it’s just letting you stay here for a bit while you rest. I’m hoping you don’t stay on that rooftop all the time, when we’re not out fighting.”

“No. I do have a room at Logos base,” Kento said. Touma didn’t need to know that he went there very rarely, since it was full of nothing but horrible memories for him. Even with the window locked, he’d never felt safe there again, not since the night of his 18th birthday. After that night, he knew that his father knew his location, and the smallest sound would wake him in a panic. 

No, Calibur had never appeared in his room, but there were plenty of other opportunities. So many times, when Kento was engaged in a fight with a Megido, and Calibur swooped into the thick of things like a nightmare that Kento couldn’t quite escape. Even if he’d been dispatched with another swordsman, Calibur would always find a way to separate Kento from them, engaging him in a one-on-one fight that he would always lose. And that had led to the first time, the first awful time, that Kento had found himself pinned facedown on the grass, Calibur’s shaft very insistently pushing inside him. It had been horrible, and Kento had feared being discovered like that by another swordsman. 

And Calibur surely knew that, knew of Kento’s fear of being discovered, almost as great as his fear of encountering Calibur alone, knowing that it would lead to being forced into an act that he wanted no part of. There were times that it seemed as though he were trying to get Kento to make enough of a fuss to be discovered, especially if Ogami-san was nearby. Kento couldn’t help but wonder if his father knew that Ogami-san had declared himself to be Kento’s second father, while Hayato was missing. Was that why he was doing these things to him, Kento always wondered. But it wasn’t as though he could ask. He _had_ , once, and Calibur had given no answer, but his thrusts had become much more rough, as if he were punishing Kento for asking such a question.

Every single time, all he could wonder was _”why is my father doing this to me?”_

And now, Kento had no idea who it had even _been_. Had it been his father, or Kamijou? Did it matter? Whoever it had been, what they’d done had been terrible and wrong, the ultimate betrayal of trust. They hadn’t even needed to threaten him to keep quiet…no, Kento had been mortified, too ashamed to even think of telling anyone. 

Touma watched Kento, clearly waging some sort of silent battle in his mind, a slew of emotions crossing his face. He wished he knew what to do, what to say, that could help, but he simply didn’t know what Kento was going through. Before now, the air of mystery that had surrounded his friend had been somewhat attractive. He couldn’t deny it. But now, somehow, it felt darker. More oppressive.

And, he couldn’t deny, it made him worried. Kento suddenly seemed so fragile, like a beautiful piece of glass about to fall from a great height and smash into a million pieces.

Touma simply could not allow that. Even if he didn’t have the full story, he wanted to help Kento, to protect him however he could. 

Because it was plain on Kento’s face, how close he was to shattering irreparably.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of that day passed uneventfully, and Touma insisted that Kento stay the night. For some reason, he was hesitant to let his friend leave, for fear of something terrible happening to him. He couldn’t bear the thought of Kento shivering up on that rooftop, alone with his thoughts, or even standing in the main room at the base, barely paying attention to what was happening around him. 

“I don’t want to inconvenience you…”

Touma shook his head. “It’s no trouble. I’ve been meaning to hook up the kotatsu, and this gives me the perfect incentive. I can just sleep out here, and you can use the bed. You still don’t look quite up to full strength after that last fight.”

A small smile crossed Kento’s lips. “Neither do you. None of us came out unscathed. It’s not that bad, just a few bumps and bruises…”

“Which will go away much quicker with a little extra rest,” Touma interrupted. “Just humor me. Please? If you feel fine tomorrow, then you can head back.”

Kento sighed softly. This side of Touma hadn’t changed at all since he was a child. His heart was just as large as it had been 15 years ago, and he was still so observant, catching small things that anyone else would have overlooked. It was familiar and comforting, even though they hadn’t seen one another for such a long stretch of time. 

Finally, Kento nodded in agreement, and he swore that Touma’s smile was as bright as the sun.

*

Several hours passed before Touma switched off the lights for the evening. He loaned Kento a pair of his pajamas, so he would have something to change into after his bath. While he’d been soaking, Touma had gotten the kotatsu set up, testing it to make certain everything was working properly. He didn’t mind the thought of sleeping there for the night. He’d done so many times in the past, but those had mostly been late nights where he’d been struggling to make his deadline, and the kotatsu’s warmth had lulled him to sleep. If he was comfortably laying down, then he doubted he’d wake up with a stiff neck or sore back again.

He’d made them a simple dinner of scrambled eggs, toast, and tea, and he was glad to see that Kento’s appetite didn’t seem to be affected. It had been getting late at that point, so Touma had bid Kento good night, quickly and quietly doing the dishes and tidying the kitchen, before grabbing the extra pillow off the couch, and making himself comfortable.

Touma had just begun drifting off to sleep, when a soft whimper echoed through the tiny apartment. He sat up quickly, smacking his knee on the underside of the table, hissing in discomfort.

“Tou-san…why…”

Somehow, it was unsurprising to Touma, that Kento’s dreams were being invaded by thoughts of his missing father. He couldn’t imagine what Kento was going through. He still couldn’t remember every single detail of that day, 15 years ago, but even if he could, he hadn’t known everything that had been happening. He’d had no idea, that there was such a fierce battle occurring between swordsmen and monsters, like some kind of magnificent fairy tale. He was fairly certain that he hadn’t known that Kento’s father was one of those swordsmen…or he _had_ been until, for some unknown reason, he’d betrayed Logos, siding with the Megido.

And then, when they’d fought Calibur earlier that day, and Kento had surely thought he would finally get some answers…a stranger had emerged from Calibur’s armor. No, not exactly a stranger…not to the other swordsmen, anyway. It was the man who had previously been Saber; Touma had heard Daishinji and Ogami-san furiously whispering about it before he’d left to look for Kento.

Another small, distressed sound echoed in the room, and Touma clenched his fist. What should he do? Should he wake Kento? Would Kento be upset or embarrassed if he found out that he’d been talking in his sleep? 

A shuddering gasp broke the silence, and Touma could hear Kento’s shaky breathing.

And then, he heard something that sounded much like a muffled sob. The apartment was all one open space, the bedroom separated from the rest of the room by a large folding screen, so every sound Kento made sounded as though he were right next to Touma.

Touma leaned his elbows on the kotatsu, lowering his face into his hands. He wanted so badly to comfort Kento, yet he was certain that any attempts would be met with an icy response. Nobody wanted to be caught in a moment of weakness.

So, even though it hurt him to do so, Touma quietly laid down once again, squeezing his eyes closed in an attempt to ward off his own tears.

Thankfully, Kento’s weeping didn’t last long, and Touma hoped he had fallen asleep once again. He needed the rest. And hopefully that rest would be deep and restorative, he thought to himself, before falling into an uneasy slumber of his own. 

*

The next morning, Touma had to admit that Kento looked much better than he had the day before. At least he hadn’t heard Kento wake up at any other point during the night—and he definitely would have heard. The apartment wasn’t tremendous, and Touma was normally a very light sleeper.

Touma hopped in the shower and got dressed for the day, finding Kento already looking much more alert than Touma was, sliding his coat on over his usual outfit. The clothing he’d borrowed was sitting at the foot of Touma’s bed, folded neatly. For some reason, Touma wished he could delay Kento’s departure. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he didn’t want his friend to go just yet. But he couldn’t think of a reason to give, and when an offer of a mug of tea or some toast was declined, Touma decided he’d best head downstairs and get ready to begin his day. At least Kento would be able to slip through the Book Gate before he opened the shop.

They’d descended the stairs and had barely set foot in the shop, when a scream echoed from outside, and Kento was already racing across the shop and unlocking the front door. He’d disappeared out onto the porch before Touma had barely managed to react, but he hurried toward the door, somehow knowing that there would be a Megido outside. Why else would there be a commotion this early?

As he stepped outside, he saw Kento directing a small group of teenagers away from the creature that was lumbering in their direction, before transforming and immediately engaging the creature in combat.

That was the difference between him and any of the other swordsmen, Touma thought to himself as he transformed. Their skills were honed to this degree to protect people; they’d been doing this job for…Touma wasn’t even certain. Things had been happening that he never would have dreamed possible, back when he was 9 years old. But how long before then had Logos existed? Touma knew he was nowhere near as skilled as any of the swordsmen, but he could certainly do the best he could to protect this town and its people, he thought, rushing into the fray as Espada was driven back by the Megido.

If Touma had been a true swordsman, fully focused on the Megido and nothing else, then he would have missed that glint of early morning sunlight on Calibur’s armor, and he never would have seen him grab Espada and open another Book, dragging the other Rider in after him.

But Touma saw it, heard the small startled sound come from within Espada’s helmet, and he managed to break away from the Megido, reaching a hand out.

He wasn’t going to lose anyone else, dammit!

His fingers closed around Kento’s wrist, and he was pulled into the book after them.

“Hmph…a stowaway.”

Touma barely had a moment to take in the surroundings before Calibur attacked, and despite how fiercely he and Espada fought, it barely seemed enough. They couldn’t drive Calibur back; rather, it seemed as though he were humoring them with this fight. He was strong enough to take them both out with little effort, and Touma knew it.

It didn’t come as much of a surprise when Calibur, clearly tired of the cat-and-mouse game he was playing with them, let loose with an attack that knocked them both back with such force, their transformations fell away, and they struggled to get to their feet.

Kento’s fingers closed around his sword as he dragged himself to his hands and knees, shooting a murderous glare at Calibur.

A soft chuckle echoed from within Calibur’s helmet. “You always did look best on your knees.”

Kento sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widening, and Touma couldn’t help but be a bit confused as he struggled to drag himself off the ground.

“Just like old times, don’t you think?” Calibur purred, taking a step closer. “No one would ever notice when I snatched you away from a fight, would they? Or they’d simply think that you drove me away.” He paused in front of Kento, leaning in to run his fingers through the young swordsman’s hair, and Kento couldn’t stop the shudder than ran through his body. 

“How awful, that he’s the one that gets to witness you being defiled.”

A strangled sound came from Kento, and Touma’s gaze met his for just a moment, before Kento quickly looked away, his features twisted in shame and horror.

Calibur…what had he done to Kento..?

“But it doesn’t matter in the long run, does it? Your time is almost up.” When Touma and Kento both directed confused looks at him, Calibur couldn’t help but chuckle. “Haven’t you noticed, boy? You’re practically filled to the brim with darkness now.”

Kento’s eyes went wide. “What are you..?”

“All these years, that we’ve been…taking care of you. Every time you received our love, or fell to our attacks, you received more and more of our darkness. It’s been adding up over the years, and now, you are approaching a critical point. Not much more now, before the darkness fully consumes you, and you’ll be ours,” Calibur purred, running his hand through Kento’s hair once again. “In fact…you’re so close, one more time should be enough to push you over the edge. Then you’ll belong to us _forever_.”

A wordless sound of panic left Kento’s lips as Calibur’s fingers closed around his hair. “It’s hardly the first time, boy. Don’t fret…just take it, like you always do.”

That was all Touma could stand to hear. He was absurdly proud of how quickly he transformed, lashing out at Calibur and making him release his grip on Kento. Before Calibur could retaliate, Saber’s dragon passed between them, and once it had vanished, so had the two Riders.

Calibur chuckled softly. 

No matter. He’d accomplished what he’d wished to. 

*

When they returned, the Megido was gone—clearly it had just been a pawn to lure them out, Touma thought—and things looked as they always did in his little corner of the world. Quiet. Peaceful.

No, perhaps not as peaceful as things had seemed earlier that morning, Touma thought to himself. Kento’s gaze was unfocused, and he barely seemed aware of their surroundings. Shock, most likely…and it wasn’t surprising, with everything Calibur had said. The fact that Touma had been there to hear it all surely wasn’t helping him.

A grimace crossed Kento’s face, and his hand moved beneath his jacket, pressing against his ribs. He barely recalled the short skirmish against Calibur, but clearly he had landed at least one good attack.

Touma didn’t miss the sudden movement, and he barely managed to stop himself before touching Kento’s arm. Even if it was a gesture of concern, he doubted that Kento wanted to be touched at that moment. “I’ve still got plenty of bandages, if you need them,” he finally said.

“I…should go…”

“Kento…you really shouldn’t be alone right now,” Touma said, his voice soft. “You’re welcome to stay. I’ll have to come down to open the shop, but…well, being a couple minutes late today won’t make much difference. No one usually comes in this early.” He trailed off, sighing inwardly at his rambling. He truly was concerned about Kento, and what had to be going through his mind at that moment. Touma wasn’t stupid; he was fairly certain he knew what Calibur had been alluding to, and he felt equal part sickened and angered. 

But the thing that disturbed him most at that moment, was what Calibur had said about darkness consuming Kento. What had that meant? It sounded like something the others should know about, and yet…he knew Kento wouldn’t say anything. Not when there was a chance that anyone else would find out about the terrible acts that had been forced upon him. Just seeing Kento’s reactions to Calibur’s words spoke volumes. Anything that had been done to him had not been consensual. But if there were any chance that his life was in danger, surely there was _some_ way to explain things without touching on what should remain private. 

Kento had never looked as fragile as he did in that moment.

“Please. You look like you’re in shock.”

Touma hadn’t expected Kento to agree, so when he nodded, it took Touma aback for a moment. He ushered Kento inside, then hung a sign on the door saying the shop would open shortly. 

Kento followed him wordlessly up the stairs, and once they’d stepped into Touma’s apartment, he seemed at a loss as to what he should do. Before Touma could say anything, Kento sat at the kotatsu, laying his head down on his arms and closing his eyes.

“If you want, you can use the bed…” Touma began, then trailed off. Perhaps he was mistaken, but he thought he saw Kento’s shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

He had no idea what to do.

He had no idea if there was anything he _could_ do. He wanted to be there for Kento, to do anything he could for him, but chances were that he would push away any offers of help. Even having Touma in the same room might be distressing to him. Touma had unwittingly heard things that Kento would have most likely never revealed, even if his life depended on it.

He’d never felt so helpless.

He didn’t know if Kento would even hear him, but Touma told him to help himself to whatever he needed, and then, feeling like a coward, he headed downstairs and opened the shop.

Books. Those were what he knew best. But books couldn’t help Kento through what he was dealing with, could they? 

It was quiet that morning, and it felt somewhat oppressive to Touma as he sat at his desk, burying his face in his hands. 

No…he was a writer, wasn’t he? Even if he couldn’t express things perfectly with the spoken word, well, the written word was so much easier.

Once he’d thought of it, his mind whirled furiously, and he grabbed a blank sheet of paper and a pen, and began to scribble. It felt like it took him forever, and he had to stop a few times when customers came in, but by the time he put out the “closed for lunch” sign, he had finished his writing, and had folded the paper into thirds.

He made his way upstairs, and was somehow unsurprised to find Kento still at the kotatsu. Now, however, he was sound asleep (Touma didn’t want to disturb him, but he leaned in just far enough to confirm that he was, indeed, seeing Kento’s back moving with each breath he took).

He must have been exhausted; Touma made himself a thermos of tea and some onigiri, and Kento didn’t stir once. Touma at least hoped he was asleep and not feigning it…Kento could use all of the rest he could get. He needed food, too, but that couldn’t be helped right then.

Touma placed several of the onigiri onto a plate, covering them with plastic wrap, and set the plate on the kotatsu, where Kento would see it upon waking. He tucked the edge of his folded note beneath the plate, then took his lunch and headed back down to the shop.

He hoped his words would be enough to give Kento even a small amount of peace. Chances were, he wouldn’t want to talk about what had happened, and Touma understood, but he still couldn’t help but feel uneasy about what Calibur had said about him being consumed by darkness. That didn’t seem like something that should be ignored.

Touma sighed softly, eating his lunch, before opening the shop up once again.

If nothing else…he wanted Kento to know that he wasn’t alone. Whatever darkness may come, Touma wished to be a beacon of light for him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains some spoilers for episode 11.

Kento wasn’t certain how much time had passed when he opened his eyes again.

He _had_ been awake when Touma had come back up to the apartment for lunch. Kento hadn’t moved from the kotatsu since his friend had gone downstairs to begin his work day. He couldn’t stop his mind from replaying Calibur’s awful confession, over and over again, and that shocked look that had crossed Touma’s face…

Kento couldn’t stop himself from weeping. It had been his worst fear, all these years, for someone to find out what Calibur had done to him. What he’d _continued_ to do to him, over the course of six years, whenever their paths crossed in battle. 

And for it to be Touma…

Kento thought back to how Touma had hurried out of his apartment earlier, and that seemed to clinch things in his mind. 

Touma was disgusted. Of course he was. Why _wouldn’t_ he be? Kento was disgusted with himself. He was so weak, that he couldn’t have defended himself all these years. Even with Espada’s powers, it simply hadn’t been enough. And now…now he was filled with darkness, and it was simply a matter of time before he’d be consumed by it.

Kento had sat with his face in his hands, sobbing, for quite some time. 

Everything suddenly felt so pointless. Hopeless. He would surely be cast out of this safe haven, once Touma finished his work day and had time to think about things. Why would he let him stay? This had only been temporary, anyway, and Kento had been on his way back to the northern base when that Megido had shown up earlier. Surely if Kento got up and went down the stairs and through the Book Gate right then, it would be fine. He wouldn’t be stopped.

But…

That had been when he’d heard Touma’s footfalls coming up the stairs, and Kento had quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, before dropping his head back down onto his arms and feigning sleep. Hopefully Touma wouldn’t disturb him if he appeared to be asleep. And if he woke Kento and told him to leave, well, that would be fine.

Touma hadn’t bothered him, though. Kento had heard him getting close at one point, and he couldn’t keep his body from tensing up, hoping that Touma wouldn’t notice.

Touma hadn’t done anything, though. Kento had expected to be woken up, but…no, after a bit of time passed, he heard soft sounds coming from the kitchen. And somehow, they were comforting enough that he truly _did_ find himself being lulled to sleep.

He might have slept for minutes or hours, Kento wasn’t certain when he finally blinked bleary eyes open. Truly, time was the last thing on his mind, when he saw the plate of onigiri sitting nearby, along with a note with his name on it tucked beneath the plate. He couldn’t help but feel curious—and perhaps a bit nervous—when he reached for the piece of paper and began to unfold it.

As he smoothed back one portion of the paper, a hastily scrawled message came into view, with a tiny smiley face drawn at the end.

_Make sure you eat! You didn’t have any breakfast…and maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like you always liked onigiri when we were kids. :)_

Yes…Touma’s memories were starting to return, weren’t they? Kento knew he’d only been focused on Kamijou during that fight the previous day, but now that he thought about it, he _had_ heard Touma say something about Kento being the boy he’d always spent time with when they were children. It should have been obvious, Kento thought, reaching out to pull the plastic wrap back and pluck one of the onigiri from the plate, feeling as though he were on autopilot as he ate. Hadn’t he said as much to Touma, when he’d first come through the Book Gate to the bookshop? Perhaps Touma’s memories of their times together hadn’t been there at the time, but it felt as though somewhere, deep down, he _had_ recognized Kento, or at least remembered all of those sunny afternoons full of books and endless play.

Touma was beginning to remember, and Kento had been so focused on his anger that he hadn’t even truly noticed.

The onigiri seemed to sit in his stomach like a lead ball as Kento steeled himself for whatever else this note would say, and he finished unfolding it and began to read.

_Kento,_

_I’m sorry if it felt like I rushed off this morning. You were already upset, and I doubted there was anything I could say that would suddenly make it better. I can’t even pretend to understand what you’re feeling right now. I wouldn’t dream of making you talk about anything, but if you ever decided that you want to—need to—then know that I’ll always be there for you. I can at least listen, offer you companionship, or just a shoulder to cry on. You’re my dearest friend, Kento, and I’ll do whatever I can for you, and that includes helping to find a way to save you from the darkness inside you._

_Don’t give up. We’re all here for you. We will save you from the darkness, and we’ll help you find your father._

_Touma_

A droplet fell on the paper, then another, and Kento quickly folded the note closed again, stuffing it into one of the inner pockets of his coat as he wiped away the tears that had begun to fall from his eyes. 

Of course; Touma was a writer. He wouldn’t know what to _say_ to someone, but putting the words on paper was an entirely different story. 

And Kento hadn’t expected this. He’d thought that Touma was disgusted, was trying to put space between the two of them until he could figure out how to tactfully ask Kento to leave. 

But it wasn’t like that at all, was it? Touma cared. Touma cared, and Kento didn’t know how to process it. 

He needed to leave. He needed to go…somewhere else. Somewhere where he could be alone with his thoughts for a bit, where he wouldn’t be disturbed. The rooftop would have been his first choice, but given the chill in the air, he doubted that would be the best idea. Plus, that would surely be the first place Touma would think to come looking for him.

No one ever thought to look for him in his room at the base…and, although being there still made him feel so vulnerable and afraid, perhaps he would go there. With luck, he could get through the Book Gate and into the base without being spotted. The others were probably trying to figure out what to do with the new information about Calibur, that he was not who they expected, but still someone who used to be one of them. 

Kento shook his head, rising shakily to his feet and crossing the small room to pull his boots on, before heading out the door, closing it quietly behind himself. He began to descend the stairs, hoping that Touma would be busy with customers, or perhaps writing, so he could make it to the Book Gate without being stopped.

Luck was not with him, however; Touma had been fixing a display when Kento stepped through the door. It looked as though he were about to speak, and Kento simply didn’t feel he would be able to handle any well-meaning words at that moment. Not from Touma. “I need to be getting back.”

“There’s no rush, is there? Or…did something happen? I didn’t hear any calls come through…”

Kento shook his head, trying to step around Touma, but the stacks of books on the floor weren’t making it easy.

Perhaps luck _was_ on his side, Kento realized, when he heard the bell tinkle over the shop’s door, and he glanced over to see Mei coming in, heard her calling out to Touma about if his manuscript was finished, and Kento had the opening he needed. He slipped past Touma, striding purposefully toward the Book Gate, and was through before Touma had even finished calling after him.

He sighed softly as he stepped into the base. Perhaps he would be able to apologize later, but for the moment, he simply needed to be alone.

But that simple hope was quashed when he spied Rintaro coming down the hallway, and he ducked into the main room, praying that he had not been spotted. If Rintaro just continued on his way, then he could head for his quarters in just a moment. Kento noticed Daishinji in the room, but he said nothing, keeping to himself as he usually did, too focused on his work to have noticed Kento's presence, most likely.

It was foolish of him to have thought he’d escaped Rintaro’s very alert gaze, Kento thought, somehow not at all surprised when Rintaro entered the room seconds later, immediately asking where he’d been, how he should have come straight back to the base after the fight, how they’d all met to discuss what had transpired…

It was all too much right at that moment, and Kento turned away from the other swordsman in annoyance. “Leave me alone!” he spat, heading for the door, barely noticing when it opened to reveal Touma and Mei.

He couldn’t stand this. Couldn’t stand hearing Rintaro telling him he was acting irrationally, that he needed to suppress his feelings. He wasn’t a robot…he was a human being! The chances of him being able to suppress any of his current feelings and emotions were slim and none. And what did Rintaro know, anyway? Telling him to return his sword, that he was no swordsman…

Perhaps he _would_ return his sword, once he had seen his mission through. Or, perhaps by then, he would be long dead, consumed by the darkness Calibur had gone on about. Either way…

He kept his eyes downcast as he strode purposefully past Touma and out of the room, hearing Rintaro call after him. He was nearly impossible to shake, and Kento found himself with a very determined shadow as he continued on his way, not exactly certain where he was going, but he was certain he did not want company.

Rintaro’s intentions were good, perhaps, but he was going about things the wrong way. Kento hadn’t realized that Rintaro had no parents and had been raised by the guild…they hadn’t worked together that long, hadn't exactly traded their life stories, so of course he didn’t know everything about the swordsman of water…but even still, he couldn’t find it in his heart to sympathize with someone who adhered to the rules in such a strict way. What would happen if Kento _did_ give up his sword? They’d be down a swordsman, and they would most likely be responsible for Kento dying an awful death. Even without Espada’s powers, Kento wouldn’t stop chasing after Calibur, wouldn’t rest until he’d defeated that awful man, even if it cost him his own life.

His thoughts were interrupted as his phone sounded.

Truthfully, had he been more calm and composed, he would have wondered exactly how Reika had known where Calibur was in that moment. But instead, he had headed for the location with no thought other than revenge in his mind, barely noticing how Rintaro still followed him.

He was not in the proper frame of mind, immediately deciding that Sophia was conspiring against Logos when he saw her standing there with Kamijou. She had worked alongside him and Hayato, once upon a time. It made sense that she, too, would want to know what was going on. Perhaps she couldn’t fight alongside the rest of them, but she still shared a bond with the swordsmen.

If Kento hadn’t been so consumed with rage, he might have focused on one of many other logical thoughts. But the moment he saw Calibur, he saw a chance to end things. He didn’t listen to Rintaro’s pleas to control himself; instead, he threw attack after sloppy attack at Calibur, desperate for answers.

He never expected Calibur to have the Jaou Dragon Book. It took his already superior strength to the next level, and Kento knew he wouldn’t be able to win. And yet, he continued trying, even though his brain was screaming at him to fall back, that one well-placed attack would be the tipping point for the darkness that filled his body.

Even with three Books, his power wasn’t enough against Calibur’s final attack, and his armor vanished against the might of the dark dragons. He truly thought his life was at an end, when Calibur told him to go and be reunited with his father.

_Tou-san…is dead..?_

That thought, along with his wounds, kept Kento from moving to dodge the attack, and his eyes widened as Blades leapt between him and Calibur’s sword, watching him cough up blood and collapse.

“We’re not merely allies…we’re family.”

Kento couldn’t help but feel cold as Rintaro’s eyes rolled back in his head. 

He didn’t notice when Calibur left.

He hadn’t noticed that Sophia had vanished.

All he knew was that people were risking themselves for him, and he couldn’t understand it.

_I’m not worth it, so why..?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter combines episodes 12 and 13, so spoilers for them, but I've also taken out my filleting knife and am starting to hack away at those nasty bits of canon that I'm not a fan of, so I can make things better. By the end of this chapter, we're veering pretty hard away from actual canon, so look forward to that!

It had taken much longer than Kento would have liked, and it was a struggle to get Rintaro onto his magic carpet—the swordsman of water was clearly more muscular than Kento had realized, something he’d quickly found out when he’d tried to lift the young man—but somehow, Kento had finally managed, and he’d made his way back to the northern base as quickly as was safely possible.

Rintaro…surely he would be all right. Calibur did not need to destroy the lives of any of the other swordsmen.

As they all waited in the main room, Kento tuned out everything that was being said, thinking more about how Calibur had confessed to cutting Hayato down. Had that been the truth? After all this time…and indeed, who even knew how much time had passed, from that fateful day 15 years ago, and whenever Kamijou had supposedly killed Hayato.

_”You couldn’t tell when it was no longer him, could you?”_

It was true; Kento had absolutely no idea. He didn’t want to dwell on each individual assault over that period of six years, but there hadn’t been anything that had differed to the point that he would have thought it was someone else within Calibur’s armor. 

God, why was he thinking about _that_? Especially when one of his comrades had been so horribly injured! And when he knew that Touma was standing nearby, was certainly regarding him with concern, concern he did not deserve.

He deserved to have Mei yelling at him like she did. He _was_ selfish, wasn’t he? But his selfishness was for the greater good, wasn’t it? He just wanted Calibur to be defeated! He wanted his nightmare to end. 

“Acting on your own like that will cost you your life.”

Kento could feel Touma’s gaze on him, and prayed he wouldn’t mention what Calibur had said. About the darkness that was about to consume him. It didn’t seem as though it were something that could be reversed, so why drop another burden on everyone that they didn’t deserve?

The best he could do was apologize, and say he was all right.

He didn’t know if anyone believed him, but he knew for certain that Touma did not.

He had to bottle up those thoughts for another time, as the remaining swordsmen gathered around to discuss the pillars of light that were absorbing portions of the city into the Wonder World. It was so much like that day, that fateful day 15 years ago, when everything had gone wrong.

Of course Ogami tried to pair Kento up with Ren. It wasn’t as though any of the others were partnering up; it was clearly all a plan to keep Kento under someone’s watchful eye. It would be fine, though, Kento knew he could slip away whenever he chose. Ren was a good swordsman, yet at the same time, incredibly unobservant. 

And of course Touma stopped him before he could leave, asking if he was really all right. Oh, he was as far from “all right” as one could be, and surely it had to be plain in the way it took Kento a moment to plaster a fake smile on his face, and finally meet Touma’s eyes. He didn’t even answer the question properly, just replied, “I know what needs to be done.”

He knew where Calibur would be. Everything was repeating that day, 15 years ago. He knew exactly where he needed to go.

But perhaps a small part of him wished that Touma would be there by his side for this fight, this fight he still wasn’t certain he could win on his own, but what did he have to lose? He’d soon be consumed by the darkness; if he died today, it would make little difference.

But before he left, he couldn’t help but softly add, “The place where we made our promise.”

He didn’t wait to see if Touma understood, just passed through the double doors, easily sneaking back down the hallway so he could see Rintaro again before he left. He needed to apologize, at least, for dragging him into something that was not his concern.

“It has to be by my hand. Take care of Touma for me.”

And then, Kento did leave the base, not knowing that Rintaro had been feigning sleep, and had heard every word he’d said.

*

In the end, everything he had hadn’t been enough.

Kento had used every ounce of power, every Book in his possession, and none of it had been enough to stand up to Jaou Dragon’s power.

He hadn’t realized he was still alive, until he'd heard Touma’s frantic shouts, and found himself laying facedown in the grass. It was already nighttime…how long had he been unconscious?

It hurt to be awake. It hurt to open his eyes, to be moved, but Kento couldn’t help but speak. He was as good as dead…why not let Touma know how happy he’d been, to find out he’d survived that day 15 years ago? How happy he’d been, to see that Touma still loved books and had become an author, and still took his promises so seriously?

It felt good, to be held in Touma’s arms like this. Drawn so close, no doubt so Touma could hear his raspy voice, Kento couldn’t help but wish that he had the strength to pull Touma closer, so he could press one kiss to the lips of his dearest friend.

Maybe if things had been different…maybe they could have been more than friends. 

But surely no one would want him as he was. Not even Touma.

It felt as though every last bit of strength he possessed was sapped away in that moment, and Touma’s shouts of his name grew softer, softer, until they were silenced.

*

Touma had shoved back his own pain, his own exhaustion, ignoring how his shaky legs nearly sent them both spilling to the ground on multiple occasions.

The moment he realized Kento was still breathing, that his pulse still thrummed steadily beneath his fingers, he knew there was hope.

It was so late, so many hours since they’d left the base that afternoon, but Touma prayed that someone would still be there, someone who could help Kento, someone who might know what to do about the darkness that was beginning to rise off his body, like wisps of smoke from a slow-catching fire. 

From the way Calibur had spoken previously, Kento was so close to being overtaken by the darkness, it had sounded like the smallest defeat would have consumed him. And yet, Kento had fallen in battle against him. Surely he had taken at least one final attack, for him to be covered in so many wounds, bruises scattered across his face. And he was still there. He was alive and breathing, and that gave Touma hope.

“I promise, Kento…I _will_ save you.”

It was a dangerous decision to load Kento onto his motorcycle, but Touma couldn’t see any other way to get him back to the base. Any time spent waiting for someone else to arrive, and then transport them back, would be wasting precious time that Kento did not have.

It felt like an eternity, but Touma finally returned to his bookshop, dragged Kento inside and through the Book Gate. And then it was chaos, as they brought Kento to the same room Rintaro had been using (and should surely _still_ be using, Touma had thought, seeing the swordsman looking a bit paler than usual), and hurriedly began tending to his wounds.

When they saw the wisps of darkness rising from Kento’s skin, all movement ceased, wide eyes turning to Touma as if demanding he give them an explanation. And they surely deserved one…just not the entire truth. Touma had been trying to decide how to phrase it, where he wouldn’t be giving away the terrible things that Kento had endured at Calibur’s hands.

“I’m not sure of the specifics, but…Kento has fought Calibur several times over the years. And fallen. Apparently each time he was defeated, darkness began to fill him. I heard him tell Kento…he’s at the point where the smallest thing will tip him over the edge, and he’ll be consumed.” Touma paused, noticing wispy swirls around Kento’s left arm. “If he fought Calibur today and lost…I don’t know how he’s still here with us…but we need to find a way to stop it. NOW. Or he’s not going to last much longer.”

No one seemed to know what to say, their fists clenched and their eyes full of concern. 

“Calibur must know of a way to stop it. This is all from his power, his sword…surely if he’s defeated, if Kurayami is taken, then it’ll break this curse,” Daishinji said.

Touma’s eyes were on Kento’s still form as he reached out to take his hand. “The three of us used to read together all the time, but I forgot our important promise. Today…I promised Kento that I’ll save him. I’m not going to back down.”

With that, the swordsmen left the base, and hurried out into the city to confront Calibur.

*

Of course, no one would have suspected that Kento would wake up so soon, and manage to sneak out of the base without being seen.

Calibur…he wouldn’t let him lay a finger on Touma.

Even if it meant that his own life would be forfeit. 

*

“He can’t be saved. Anyone who is consumed by the power of darkness will vanish.”

Kamijou’s words had shaken Touma to his core, but of course he wouldn’t simply give them the answer they wanted. He was an evil man, an awful man, surely he was lying! If they took Kurayami, then there was definitely a way..!

But the four of them couldn’t stand up to his attacks, and it took them all by surprise when Espada appeared out of nowhere, leaping in to try to deflect an attack that had been heading for Rintaro, and taking the full brunt of the attack himself. 

There was no time left; they had to finish things _now_ , but Calibur was too strong for them to stand against.

Even so, Touma’s fierce determination to protect Kento and the city made something much like a miracle, and the Dragonic Knight Book appeared in his hand. 

But even fighting Calibur and defeating him was not enough. Kurayami vanished. The one hope they’d had for saving Kento’s life, gone.

The darkness was coming off of Kento’s body in much thicker waves instead of wispy tendrils, and Touma could hear everyone’s sounds of alarm as he ran up to them, dropping to his knees before Kento’s still form.

That was it. They had failed. _He_ had failed. If he could only have gotten Calibur to tell him how to _stop_ this..!

Kento’s hand twitched, lifting slightly off the ground, the darkness particularly thick around his arm, and Touma reached out for him, feeling Kento grasping desperately at his arm.

Kento looked so resolved, as if he’d already given up, Touma thought, tears beginning to spill from his eyes. He could hear the others shouting Kento’s name, Ren’s loud sobs rising over everything else.

He couldn’t just let Kento go. Not like this…he didn’t deserve this! After everything he’d endured up until now…

Touma had never even told him...

Perhaps it was that one thought that had him leaning forward, closing the gap between him and Kento, until their lips touched.

Maybe this wasn’t the time for it, but dammit, he couldn’t let Kento die without letting him know how he felt. He could feel Kento’s fingers digging into his arm, taste the saltiness of his tears as they ran down his cheeks.

_Kento…I love you._

Suddenly, it felt as though something were wriggling inside Touma’s mouth, and he drew back, abruptly spitting it onto the ground, and they all stared in shock at what looked rather like a fat worm made entirely of shadow.

Daishinji’s sword came down on the thing, cutting it in two, and it vanished in a puff of dark smoke.

“Did…did that thing come from Kento..?”

Touma wasn’t even certain who had spoken; he had already leaned back in, pressing his lips to Kento’s desperately, drawing him closer and focusing every thought on how he felt for the young man. It wasn’t much longer before he had to draw back and spit another wriggling mass onto the ground, which quickly met its demise as another sacred sword cleaved it in half.

Touma didn’t know how many times he repeated the action, how many times the others destroyed the masses that he spat out, until he noticed that the aura of darkness that had been slowly consuming Kento had dissipated. His eyes were closed and he was still, and Touma felt as though his heart were being squeezed into pulp.

“Kento…Kento!”

He wanted to shake his shoulders, wanted Kento to open his eyes and smile up at him, wanted him to be safe and—most importantly— _alive_!

Rintaro was moving closer, reaching out to press his fingers to Kento’s wrist, and everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath until a relieved smile crossed his face.

“He’s…he’s alive. Just unconscious, it seems.”

Suddenly, Touma felt exhausted. Weak from relief, but he could also feel exhaustion from the constant battles—not to mention wounds sustained from those battles—beginning to set in. 

But that could all wait, he thought, dragging himself to his feet and gathering Kento up in his arms. Kento needed to be cared for first. He needed to be in his own bed, safe and comfortable, and Touma was determined to take him there himself. The others had to have noticed that he was about to drop, and they offered to help carry Kento, but Touma simply did not want to let him go.

They made their way back to the northern base, and Ogami led Touma down the hall, pointing out Kento’s room. “He’s going to need to be looked over…dragging himself out when he could barely stand couldn’t have helped the wounds he already had. And you, too. Come back to the main room for medical care once you get Kento comfortable.”

Touma nodded, then made his way into Kento’s room, shivering slightly at the chill in the air. At least the blankets on his bed looked thick and comfortable. And they were quite difficult to draw back, with his arms full of Kento, Touma soon came to realize. He managed to get one corner drawn back, then sat Kento down, holding him carefully against his chest as he pulled the rest of the covers back

Once the bed was turned down, Touma slid Kento’s boots off, then with a bit of difficulty, he managed to get his coat off, laying it across the chair that sat near the bed. He would hang it up once he was through.

Getting Kento situated in the bed seemed to drain the last of his reserves, and Touma found himself sagging down onto the mattress beside Kento, feeling considerable relief in how peaceful he looked. He couldn’t help but reach out, taking Kento’s hand in his, feeling Kento weakly squeezing his fingers, even in sleep.

The thought of sleep sounded so appealing, that Touma found himself drifting off before he was even aware of doing so.

*

“You shouldn’t even be up right now, Rintaro…you need to be in bed, too.”

“I will do so, right after Kento and Touma receive any first aid they need.”

Mei huffed quietly. “Someone else could take care of that, you know. Look, you’re practically walking sideways! You and Kento both need to be in bed for at least a week at this rate.”

“Perhaps, but it’s simply not possible at this point, Mei-san. If I’m needed in a fight against the Megido, I will of course be there, despite my wounds. I can use a healing potion to ease the pain of the worst of them.”

They stepped into Kento’s room, and they both would have been lying if they’d said they hadn’t felt fear shoot through their veins when they saw Touma collapsed on the bed beside Kento. Had something happened? Had there been an attack? Had the darkness done something to Touma? Were his wounds _that_ serious, but he’d kept it hidden all that time?

Rintaro rushed to their side, Mei hot on his heels, worry plain on their faces until Rintaro checked their pulses and found them both to be strong. 

“His strength must have just given out…he _did_ carry Kento back here himself, after all of that fighting. He’s got to be exhausted,” Rintaro murmured.

They carefully moved them both so they would be able to rest comfortably, made sure that neither of them had any wounds in need of immediate care, then decided it would be much easier to take care of them when they were both awake and upright. They gathered up the first aid kit, brought the blankets up around Touma and Kento, noticing how their hands were still clasped between their bodies.

Rintaro lit a candle on a wall sconce, wanting to make certain they’d have a bit of light in case they woke up once night had fallen. With that done, he and Mei left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **PLEASE READ!**
> 
> I know I have the rape/noncon tag on this series in general, but this chapter goes pretty deep into what Kento has been going through for the past six years, so please keep that in mind and proceed with caution if needed!

Kento didn’t think he would ever be opening his eyes again, so needless to say, it was a surprise when he did just that. 

It was dark, save for the soft glow of candlelight across the room. _His_ room, Kento belatedly realized. He was in his room, tucked into his bed, and he swore he had never been in as much pain as he had been in that moment.

He closed his eyes again, his weary brain struggling to process everything. Right…he had left the base, determined to help the others, not wanting to see anyone else fall victim to Calibur’s terrible powers. Everything else was lost in a haze of pain and confusion.

What had happened..? There was a flash of memory where Kento saw darkness rising off his body. He had been at the point of no return, hadn’t he? Then how..?

“I still can’t believe it.”

Kento held his breath for a moment, taking a bit longer than it should have to place the voice. Ogami-san. He sounded close…not in the room, though. The hallway, perhaps?

“It wasn’t even _possible_ , what he did,” Ogami continued.

“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened. We were all there…we saw Touma draw that darkness out of Kento’s body. We all helped destroy those… _things_ that came out of him.”

Daishinji, too? Kento frowned, straining to listen to their quiet conversation.

“He just keeps doing these incredible things, doesn’t he?” Ogami mused. “Hell, he practically wrote a story about how we would take on and defeat an enemy, and it worked. I don’t know how he does it, but it’s like whatever he sets his mind to, no matter how impossible, it just…happens.” There was a pause, then a long sigh. “I really thought we were too late. I didn’t think we would be bringing Kento back today. The way Calibur had been talking, that darkness was going to consume him, and there was no getting around it.”

Kento remembered laying on the ground, the others gathered around him. Then Touma had…

Touma…he had kissed him, hadn’t he?

As absurd as it sounded, Kento remembered the feeling of Touma’s lips on his, and then…nothing. Nothing until he’d woke up just moments ago.

As Kento’s eyes adjusted to the dim candlelight when he next opened them, he realized that he was not alone in the bed. Touma was beside him, sleeping deeply…and after a few moments more, Kento realized that their hands were clasped. They must have been asleep for some time, and the circulation in his arm was suffering for it, Kento thought, feeling pins and needles running through the limb. 

Oh, how he longed for a proper explanation, to fill these gaps in his memory! Yet, at the same time, he knew he was too exhausted to properly understand anything that he might learn.

Maybe later, he thought, his eyes closing once again, as Touma’s soft breathing lulled him back into slumber.

*

Touma wasn’t certain how long he had been asleep when he next opened his eyes. It took him a moment to recall what had transpired, but it all came back quickly enough when he saw Kento, still asleep beside him, looking so relaxed in slumber, his features slightly illuminated by the light that was beginning to shine past the curtains that were drawn across the window.

It didn’t look as though Kento had moved the entire night; he was still sound asleep (and breathing. Touma couldn’t help but make certain of that), his lips parted slightly. Their hands were still clasped between their bodies, though they weren’t clinging as tightly to one another as they had been when Touma had fallen asleep. He couldn’t help but run his thumb lightly across Kento’s hand for just a moment, not wanting to disturb him.

He still couldn’t believe it. Kento was all right. He was _alive_. Touma still recalled the cold, wriggling feeling in his mouth as he’d drawn the darkness out of Kento, bit by bit. It had been much like sucking venom out of a snake bite, and yet, somehow Touma knew that it wouldn’t have been at all possible if it had been anyone else, if it hadn’t been someone who…

A soft sound made Touma roll over slightly, and he saw Rintaro coming into the room, followed by Mei, who held a first aid kit. Touma saw her eyes widen, and he somehow knew that she was either going to start crying or wail in relief—either way, it would be loud—and he held a finger up to his lips, hoping to get the hint across that Kento was still sleeping, and talking should be kept to a minimum.

It was enough; Mei quickly pressed her lips together, but her expression showed a mix of relief and concern. 

Rintaro simply looked relieved, getting close enough to the bed so he could speak quietly to Touma. “How are you feeling?”

“I think a good night’s rest took care of most of it…I probably have some bruises, but that’s no big deal,” Touma replied, regretfully extracting his hand from Kento’s grasp so he could sit up.

The slight movement drew Kento from his slumber, and the soft voices so close by sent a surge of panic through his body, and his eyes shot open. He tried pushing himself upward, his first instinct being to put space between himself and whoever was in his room, but trying to move only made him gasp in pain, and then all eyes were on him.

“Kento! Kento, it’s just me. It’s Touma. Try to not move…you’re still wounded and need rest. Ah, that cut on your cheek is bleeding again. I’m going to move you onto your back so I can put a bandage on it, ok?”

Kento groaned softly, managing one nod before pressing his lips together and making a mental note to not do that again anytime soon. He saw Rintaro and Mei hovering nervously in the background, twin looks of concern on their faces, before he closed his eyes. He hoped he didn’t have a concussion…god, with the beatings he’d taken over the past few days, it would be a miracle if he _didn’t_ have one.

Touma helped him roll onto his back, his hands not lingering on him any longer than necessary, and for that, Kento was thankful. He could have opened his eyes to keep track of what was happening, but if he did that, he felt as though he would end up vomiting. Everything was too sharp, too bright, too _much_ right at that moment. At least it was Touma…Touma knew…he wouldn’t do anything to cause him distress.

Kento winced softly as Touma cleaned the crusted blood off his cheek, murmuring soft words of apology, before a fresh bandage was taped down.

“I’m going to change this other one, while I’m at it. Ok? Does anything else hurt, that I should look at while I have the first aid kit?”

“Everything,” Kento finally replied, surprised at how raspy his voice sounded.

He could practically sense the frown that was undoubtedly tugging Touma’s lips downward. “That’s understandable. You withstood a lot, these past few days.”

What was wrong with Touma’s voice, Kento suddenly wondered. He sounded…odd. Hoarse.

“Mei-san and I will leave you to it, Touma. I want to check…I believe I have some healing potion left. I drank perhaps half a bottle before I went out to help you the other day. Whatever is left, Kento is more than welcome to it.”

Kento heard soft footfalls heading for the door, then the sound of the door closing. He managed to open one eye, then quickly closed it again. 

“You look like hell,” Touma murmured, gently smoothing the bandage onto Kento’s cheek, his fingertips hesitating for just a moment, and Kento would have sworn that they were trembling. “I…we almost lost you.”

“What happened?” Kento asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He probably shouldn’t be worrying about the specifics at that moment, he should simply get comfortable and go back to sleep, but he felt that he needed to know. “Calibur..?”

“I don’t know,” Touma answered truthfully. “It seemed like I had defeated him, but we couldn’t find him, or Kurayami. The darkness was pouring off you. I thought we’d failed…that _I_ had failed.”

“You…kissed me,” Kento said, his voice even softer now, as if he were afraid that he had been imagining that moment.

“It always works in fairy tales,” Touma murmured. “A kiss of true love.”

Kento sucked in a surprised breath. True love..?

“I couldn’t let you go without showing you know how I felt. I kissed you, and I thought about how much I love you, and…it drew some of the darkness out of you. It manifested like small shadowy creatures. I kept pulling more and more out, and the others cut each creature down, until there was nothing left. And you…you were still breathing. You were still _alive_.”

Kento thought back to the conversation he’d overheard between Ogami and Daishinji, about how Touma continued to do these impossible things. Truly, it sounded like something that wouldn’t work outside of a fairy tale, but…well, Kento was proof that it had worked, wasn’t he?

“Don’t do anything like that again,” Touma continued, and Kento could tell that he was crying, even as he felt Touma’s fingers wrap around his own once again. “We’re a team. I know why you want to take Calibur down on your own, but…”

Kento swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, and he knew that if he were not feeling as atrocious as he currently was, he would have most likely been crying as well.

Then there was a commotion as the door opened once again, and several voices filled the air, much louder than Kento wanted to deal with in that moment, and perhaps his face reflected his discomfort, as he heard Touma hurriedly telling everyone to keep their voices down.

Touma was helping him sit up a moment later, sending a whole new wave of dizziness through his head, and he heard Rintaro’s voice, saying that he had brought the remains of his potion. Kento wanted to say something, to thank him for giving up what he, too, surely needed, but speaking was simply too difficult. He leaned against Touma, feeling the bottle being held up to his lips, and he carefully downed every drop. He could tell by the amount in the bottle, by the taste, that it was one of Sophia’s potions meant more for minor wounds, but hopefully it would be enough for the moment to dull the worse of his pain.

That reminded him…Sophia had been there that day, when Reika had called him with Calibur’s whereabouts. When Kento, already dealing with so much, had accused her of conspiring with Kamijou Daichi. That was the day when Rintaro had been injured protecting him…and Sophia hadn’t returned since then, had she? Surely with everything else that had been happening, no one else had realized this, and Kento wanted to bring it up, but all he could do was groan softly as he felt the potion begin to go to work.

After a few hesitant moments, he chanced opening his eyes, pleased to find that the nausea had at least passed. 

All of the other swordsmen were present, along with Mei, and they all looked incredibly relieved to see him looking at them.

Ren stepped forward. “I know you gave this to me, and I dunno if it’ll do much, but…” He paused, holding out a jar of shimmery powder that Kento indeed recognized. They were healing bath salts he had given Ren not very long ago, since he always seemed to come out of missions and even just training with an array of bumps and bruises from throwing himself into battles without much thought to his own safety. 

Kento lifted his arm with some difficulty, intending on taking the jar as Ren handed it to him, but he simply couldn’t manage to grip it, and the jar tumbled from his fingers. At least Touma acted quickly, catching the jar before it hit the floor, but then he had several concerned pairs of eyes on him.

“That’s the arm where the darkness was thickest, wasn’t it?” Touma murmured.

Kento had no idea; he still couldn’t recall much up of the day before, up to a certain point. “It felt like it had fallen asleep earlier when I woke up…like pins and needles,” he admitted, lifting his hand. It looked fine, and yet, when he tried to make a fist, he could barely close his hand.

Ogami sighed. “Hopefully this is just temporary and will heal along with your other wounds, but…till then, Kento, you need to stay in bed and focus on your recovery. I don’t want to risk anything else happening to you, especially when you’re this badly hurt. And no fussing, either, got it?”

“It might be better if he stays at Touma’s…” Mei said, trailing off when everyone turned to look at her. “I mean…everyone keeps sneaking out of the base when they’re hurt! It might be a little harder for him to do that if he’s got to go down a flight of stairs _and_ get through the bookshop unnoticed to reach the Book Gate, or even just to go out the front door. Don’t you think?”

Kento wanted to protest, but…well, he _had_ snuck off on his own to go after Calibur, and that had nearly gotten him killed. And truthfully, any reason to not be left in his quarters, alone, would be most welcome. 

But no one needed to know that.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Touma said, before his gaze settled on Kento. “But it’s really Kento’s choice to make.”

It wasn’t much of a choice, though, was it? Kento felt as though he’d be underfoot at the base. He was practically an invalid at this point, a swordsman who wouldn’t even be able to swing his sword, much less pick it up, not with his arm as weakened as it was. And he would still need to get out of bed to get his meals…that would be much easier in Touma’s tiny apartment. But wouldn’t he be underfoot there, as well, simply due to the living space being so small? 

Was that really what he was worried about, Kento couldn’t help but wonder…or was he worried more about being alone with Touma again? Touma, who knew his deepest secret, yet still claimed to love him?

Everyone was still looking at him, waiting for an answer, and he finally bobbed his head, glad that the slight movement didn’t make him feel nauseous as it had before. “Whatever would be easiest.”

That seemed to settle things, and Touma helped Kento over to the edge of the bed, putting his boots back on (Kento had protested that he could do it himself, until he’d tried to bend to pull one on and nearly toppled over. After that, he simply sat still and let Touma take care of it.).

“Clothes,” Kento murmured. “I’ll need something to wear besides this…especially if I can’t perform my duties right now.”

“Good point. Um…do you have a bag, or a suitcase somewhere?”

“In the closet,” Kento murmured. He’d barely done anything, and he already felt exhausted. It was tempting to simply stretch out on his bed while the clothing situation was being taken care of, but surely it wouldn’t take long. He could just rest once he was at Touma’s.

Touma found the suitcase quickly, opening it on the foot of Kento’s bed, then paused, meeting Kento’s confused gaze. “Well…I don’t know where you keep anything, and I don’t want to just rummage through your things…”

Ogami chuckled, slapping Touma on the back. “Why? Are you afraid of finding a secret stash or something? Surely every young man has one of those!”

Touma managed a weak smile, which quickly faded when he glanced at Kento and saw a pained expression cross his face. Not physical pain, no…this definitely had to do with what he’d suffered through. Somehow, Touma doubted that Kento had any such things hidden in his room. Most likely, the thought of sex would send him into a blinding panic. 

Ogami had patted Touma’s back once again, before taking it upon himself to pack Kento’s suitcase, making certain to go into his bathroom for things Touma wouldn’t have thought of in that moment. Little things he could have easily come back to retrieve, like Kento’s toothbrush and comb, but they were things that a father wouldn’t overlook.

Once the suitcase was closed, Touma helped Kento to his feet, feeling him leaning a bit more heavily against him than he’d expected, and he wanted nothing more than to hug him. But surely Kento’s thoughts were anything but pleasant in that moment—Touma could feel how tense he was. Tense and, surely, exhausted. Maybe if he felt up to it, Touma would run him a hot bath with those salts, so he could at least attempt to relax, and hopefully heal a bit more.

Rintaro took the suitcase, waving aside everyone’s concern. “This is the least I can do right now, and I won’t be overexerting myself. I’ll rest once Kento is safely in Touma’s home.”

“You better. We need everyone as close to full power as possible right now…and that includes you, novelist,” Ogami stated, glancing pointedly at Touma. “It’s only a matter of time before the enemy makes their move.”

Touma nodded, then, his movements slow and careful as he helped Kento along, they made their way through the Book Gate, and with Rintaro on their heels, they headed up to Touma’s apartment. Touma made it as far as his small couch before he felt as though he couldn’t take another step, and he was glad that Rintaro was setting the suitcase beside the bed, so he missed Touma’s undignified stumble as he got Kento settled on the cushions. 

“We’ll contact you when something happens,” Rintaro stated. “Until then, rest, and call if you need anything.”

Touma nodded, watching as Rintaro let himself out of the apartment, his footfalls down the stairs growing softer with each passing second, before he turned to Kento. “Are you hungry? Or do you want to take a bath? If you’re still tired…”

“The night of my eighteenth birthday, my father snuck through the window into my room and raped me.”

Touma felt as though he’d forgotten how to breathe, when he heard Kento’s soft words.

“He hadn’t been seen, or heard from, in years, and I knew he’d betrayed us, but…I’d wished that he could be there. It was foolish, a child’s selfish wish, but I woke up that night, and he was there. I thought…maybe everything that had happened had just been a bad dream. Maybe my father wasn’t a traitor. But…he…he h-held me down…”

“Kento, you shouldn’t be upsetting yourself like this…”

“I passed out, after he’d finished,” Kento continued, as if Touma had not even spoken. “I woke up later, thinking it had been a dream. An awful dream…a nightmare. But I couldn’t keep pretending the next morning. I was in so much pain. And…he must have kept going, after I passed out, because there was a terrible mess. There was some blood, but…it looked like every time he came, he just did it on the sheets. There was so much. I couldn’t leave it there, for someone else to see, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep with that reminder staring me in the face. I wanted to sneak down to wash them before anyone else was up and about that morning, but…I had slept longer than I’d realized, and Ogami-san came to make sure I was all right. I’d had a little wine the night before, since it was my birthday…I guess he worried that it had given me a hangover. I had the sheets balled up on the bed when he came in, but…they really were a mess. Thank god he didn’t see the blood, but…he saw the rest. I don’t know if he thought I just came back to my room and jerked off all night long, or if I had brought someone back with me, but he said something about how it looked like I’d had a…really nice night.” Kento’s quivering lips quirked up into a weak smile for just a moment. “He was teasing, like he always does. Like he did earlier. But it felt like a slap to the face. That night had been a nightmare. It _still_ gives me nightmares. I had been considering confiding in Ogami-san, because I was so scared. And then, a few days later, Rintaro came up to me, wondering why Ogami-san had been asking if the two of us had spent my birthday together. After that…I couldn’t. I just couldn’t say anything to anyone. I felt ashamed. That it was my fault, somehow. I’d wished for my father to come back, and he did, and he did such terrible things to me because of it.”

“Kento…”

“I don’t think I’ve had an unbroken night’s sleep since then. I kept my window closed and latched every night, because I was afraid of waking up to find him crawling into my room again. When Ikazuchi was presented to me, I made sure to always keep it within reach, when I was sleeping. But…I never saw my father again after that night. I doubted my sanity some days. _Had_ it really happened? I wanted so badly to believe it hadn’t, despite the evidence that proved otherwise.”

Kento went silent, the fingers of his right hand clenched so tightly around his sleeve, that his knuckles had gone white.

Touma had no idea what to say.

“Then, when I began going out on missions of my own, fighting Megido when they appeared…that was when Calibur took over, as that dark shadow in my nightmares. I haven’t ever been able to hold my own against him…I was younger in the beginning, and didn’t have the best grasp of my abilities back then. I was always sent out with at least one other more experienced swordsman, for my own safety. But regardless of if I was sent out with one or ten others, Calibur always managed to get me away from my teammates. And I always fought my hardest, because he was the enemy, and I wanted to know _why_! Why my father betrayed the guild. Why he did those things to me. But why would he give answers to some weak child who couldn’t hold his own in a fight? I was defeated, every single time. And to the victor went the spoils. I hadn’t realized that Calibur’s armor was like…like an extension of the wearer’s body. Not until he had me pinned to the ground and pulled my pants down and…”

Touma could see the tears dripping from Kento’s eyes onto his hands, and he ached to take them in his own, to say or do something, _anything_ , that would stop Kento from recounting all of these terrible memories!

“I was so scared of someone realizing that I was constantly being led away from fights, for Calibur’s sick whims. What if…what if someone saw him fucking me, and thought that I was a traitor, too? That I wanted _any_ of it? He must have known that, somehow…he was always rough, and enjoyed making me scream. If I screamed, then he wanted me to scream _more_ , and _louder_. If I didn’t make a sound, he just made it hurt more. There was one time, I was out with Ogami-san, and of course Calibur came for me. He didn’t fuck me that day…he made me suck him off. Or, more like he just held my head in place and fucked my mouth. But…when he came, he pulled out, and it went all over me. My hair, my face, down the front of my robe. And I could hear Ogami-san somewhere calling for me, no doubt trying to find where I’d gotten to. Calibur wanted him to find me like that. There was a stream nearby that I nearly drowned myself in, trying to wash it all off, before Ogami-san found me. That…it was the closest I’d come to being found. I didn’t know why Calibur was so determined to have someone find us, until he mentioned the darkness overtaking me. Surely the shame of being discovered would have made it stronger…and when it didn’t work, he simply kept trying. Over and over, for six years. And the other day…when Kamijou Daichi emerged from the armor, and not my father, he said…my father had offered me to him. Whenever Kamijou became Calibur…I don’t even know when that was…the other day, he said that he cut my father down, that I should go join him. And the last time I fought him, he sounded like he was going to target you next, and I couldn’t…I couldn’t bear the thought of him touching you. Even if it killed me, I was going to keep you safe, so you wouldn’t have to suffer like I have…”

Kento trailed off abruptly as Touma’s arms went around him, drawing him into a crushing embrace.

“That’s enough, Kento. Please…”

“You needed to know what you were getting into, Touma. Even if you saved me from that darkness…I’m still tainted.”

“You’re not,” Touma said, as firmly as he could manage, through the tears that had begun to fall from his eyes. “None of what happened was your fault. You didn’t ask for any of it.”

Suddenly, it felt as though all of Kento’s strength had left him, and he couldn’t help but sag heavily against Touma, feeling himself being cradled carefully against Touma’s body.

“You need to rest…this stress can’t be good for you. Let me help you to the bed…”

“No.” Even though this was more contact that Kento would be comfortable with on a normal day, for some reason, he didn’t want to move. Not just yet. If he lost Touma’s warmth, he felt as though he would fall completely apart.

He pressed his forehead against Touma’s shoulder, and the tears flowed from his eyes, his shoulders shaking.

Perhaps he was falling apart anyway.

Touma’s arms stayed around him the entire time, strong and steady like an anchor, and Kento could have sworn that he was crying, too.

Surely not. Why would Touma be crying? He had to have been mistaken, Kento thought; all of the tears that slid down his cheeks had to have been his own.


	7. Chapter 7

Quite some time passed before Kento’s tears subsided, and Touma began to wonder if he had fallen asleep, until Kento had drawn in a shuddering breath and slowly moved out of Touma’s arms.

He looked awful, Touma couldn’t help but realize. In addition to all of his bumps, bruises, and other wounds from the various fights over the last few days, Kento’s eyes were now red and puffy from the abundance of tears he’d finished shedding.

“You really need to rest,” Touma said, his voice soft. “But…do you want a bath first? You could use those salts, and maybe they’ll help you feel a bit better. That and something quick to eat for dinner, if you can stay awake that long. You still look exhausted.”

He _felt_ exhausted, Kento thought to himself. Everything that had happened over the past few days had only served to weaken him, each wound tiring him more and more, and yet he’d continued to drag himself into battle, ignoring his body’s desperate pleas for rest. Now, though, he had no choice but to listen to it.

A bath did sound nice, though…and Touma was right, he should try using the salts Ren had given him. Chances were, they wouldn’t do much for anything other than the light wounds that were scattered across his body, but a hot bath would surely help him relax.

Something in his expression must have given Touma the confirmation he needed, and he rose to his feet. “I’ll go draw the bath and set out a towel and washcloth. For tonight, how about you just borrow sweatpants and a shirt from me? After you get some sleep, I can clear a little space in a drawer for your clothes, and your toothbrush and stuff can go in the bathroom.” 

Kento looked at him, a bit bleary-eyed, and Touma fussed for a moment, covering him with a throw blanket and getting him comfortable on the couch to wait. “Ah…those salts…do they get added like Epsom salts while the water’s running, so they dissolve? Or once the tub’s full? I don’t want to mess anything up…”

Kento’s eyes felt too heavy to keep open, and they lulled closed as he mumbled, “It doesn’t matter…they’re effective no matter when they’re added. I usually add them before I get in.”

Touma nodded, even though Kento’s eyes were closed, and he bustled around, getting a change of clothes for Kento, before he set the tub to filling. He set out a towel and washcloth, and once the tub was full, he shut off the water and closed the bathroom door behind him to keep the room warm, before heading to the couch where Kento looked to be asleep. Touma hesitated for a moment, not wanting to wake him when he was actually getting some rest, but he didn’t want to waste the bath he’d drawn, especially when there was a chance it would do him some good.

While he wrestled with his thoughts, a grimace crossed Kento’s features, and his eyes opened a moment later, his hand going to his side.

“Will you be ok on your own?” Touma asked hesitantly, suddenly remembering the trouble Kento had had earlier, when he’d tried to pull his boots on by himself. Would he be getting undressed and topple over, and wind up adding more bumps and bruises to his already battered frame?

“I’ll manage,” was all Kento said.

Touma didn’t miss how he struggled to sit up, and then rise from the couch. He wanted to press matters, but he didn’t want Kento to be upset with him. Plus he couldn’t exactly help Kento undress, or watch over him like a child while he soaked. 

Finally, he managed to reply, “If you need anything…just call for me, ok? I’m sure I’ll hear you. I’ll get some rice going for dinner, but take your time in the bath.”

Kento nodded absently, all of his energy seeming to be on getting him to the bathroom, and he truly hoped that Touma wouldn’t try to help him. He was already feeling so overwhelmed; he didn’t think he could handle Touma’s touch again, even if it were something as simple as a helping hand into the bathroom.

Perhaps Touma had realized this, for he stayed where he was, and Kento made his way into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself and leaning against it for a moment so he could regain his strength and stay upright. He _was_ in terrible shape…but then again, he’d come so close to dying. To being consumed by darkness. 

The thought made him shiver, and suddenly, he wanted to be in that tub of toasty water.

He carefully grabbed the jar of salts with his right hand, sprinkling half of the contents into the water, watching it run through a gamut of colors, as it always did. He capped the jar and set it aside, figuring if he needed the rest, he could use them the next day. Between the salts and that healing potion Rintaro had given him, Kento hoped that perhaps he would be able to walk across the room without feeling as though he were going to drop once he’d reached his destination. 

Disrobing took much longer than he would have liked, but Kento also didn’t relish the possibility of moving too quickly and falling, or passing out. He hated showing any amount of weakness to anyone, and today he’d had all of his comrades see how exhausted and wounded he was. And Touma…

God, he’d told Touma _everything_.

A shiver ran through his body, and Kento hurried as much as he was able to get the last of his clothes off, before he slid into the tub, wincing from the heat of the water hitting all of the wounds he hadn’t realized he had. Of course, his entire body was probably black and blue at this point. 

He leaned against the back of the tub, feeling the usual unmistakable tingle as the salts went to work, the water changing to a crimson color, and for a moment, Kento worried that it was his blood that was making the color change. But no, that was simply what the salts did; they changed color depending on the severity of the wounds (Kento had never seen crimson before…was that a signal that he was too badly hurt for them to have much effect? More than likely, he thought), and once their magic was expended, the water would go clear again. He took a moment to reach up and tug away the bandages Touma had put on his face earlier, before splashing some of the water onto his face and preparing for the inevitable sting that came with the salts.

Salt in an open wound was, perhaps, not the best idea, and Kento couldn’t help but yelp at the pain, feeling his entire body thrumming in discomfort, his heart pounding in his ears. He hoped he wouldn’t pass out.

Then he realized that he hadn’t been hearing his heart pounding, it had been Touma pounding on the door, and he only realized this when the door swung open and his wide eyes met Touma’s own.

Hearing Kento’s sounds of pain had worried him, of course, but now that Touma was in the room and saw the odd color that the bath water had definitely _not_ been earlier, his thoughts immediately went in the worst direction, and he tried to remember if he’d left a razor out. Surely Kento hadn’t..! 

Kento saw the look on Touma’s face when his gaze rested on the water, and the desire to set his friend’s mind at ease was, for the moment, stronger than his desire to panic because Touma had suddenly burst into the room, the room where he was currently naked and defenseless and in so much pain…

_It’s Touma. Touma is safe._

“It’s fine…it’s the salts. They change color…” Kento trailed off, a soft gasp of pain leaving his lips as he felt the wounds on his face begin to foam, and he felt relieved for a moment. At least a few of his wounds would be gone after this. “Depending on the severity of the wounds. The wounds foam when they’re healing.”

Kento could see the relief wash across Touma’s face, but then there was something else in his expression, and Kento couldn’t help but draw his knees up to his chest. Why was he staring like that..?

“You’ve got…bruises all along your back,” Touma finally said. “God…I hadn’t realized just how badly you were hurt. Do…do you need help reaching them?”

“I’ll just lay back in the water,” Kento said, feeling the panic beginning to bubble up inside him. “I…need to be alone, Touma.”

Touma’s eyes widened slightly, and he took a step back, averting his eyes quickly. “I’m sorry. I just…I’ll leave you to it,” he said quickly, before turning and ducking out of the room, closing the door behind himself.

Once he was alone, Kento released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and he squeezed his eyes closed, trying to calm his pounding heart. The pain from his healing wounds was distracting, at least, and he laid back in the water to make sure his entire body came into contact with the salts, pressing his lips together as a fresh wave of pain made him want to whimper, but…he didn’t dare. Touma was worried about him, of course, but…he needed to be alone. 

After some time, he sat up again, wrapping his arms around his legs and laying his forehead on his knees.

God, he was so damaged. Even with someone that he trusted being so close when he was defenseless…he felt that same panic in his chest that he’d always felt when Calibur had appeared. 

Touma wouldn’t hurt him…right? Touma had saved his life. Touma had said that he _loved_ him.

Kento wasn’t sure how long he’d stayed in the tub, but the water was clear and going cold by the time he finally drew himself out of his thoughts. As the water drained and Kento climbed out of the tub, he was pleased that his body ached a bit less than before, but he still felt so heavy. Perhaps it was exhaustion from the panic attack he’d barely managed to avoid, coupled with the exhaustion he’d already been dealing with. 

He took his time drying off, slipping into the clothing Touma had loaned him. He had no idea where to put his clothing, or the towel he’d used…and they were all laying on the floor now, and if he bent down to retrieve them, he’d never get back up.

When he opened the bathroom door and stepped out, he saw Touma rise from the couch, relief on his face, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. “I…my clothes, and the towel…I didn’t think I could pick them up…”

Then, absurdly enough, tears were dripping down his cheeks, and he wiped at them in annoyance. What was the matter with him? Why was he crying, over leaving a towel on the floor?

“It’s fine, Kento. You shouldn’t overexert yourself…I can take care of it,” Touma said, his voice so gentle and understanding, that it made Kento feel even worse, somehow.

“Here, come sit down and eat. Then I think you should go to bed. Exhaustion can mess with your emotions sometimes, and you’re definitely exhausted.”

Kento barely managed to nod, before Touma was guiding him over to his small dining table—and somehow, now that gentle hand on his shoulder wasn’t at all frightening—where a bowl of rice and a glass of some kind of juice sat waiting for him.

“I didn’t know if you’d want tea right before going to bed, and the only other thing I have is orange juice…but that’s got to be good for your immune system while you’re healing, right?”

Touma trailed off, smiling gently as Kento began to eat, and he left him for a moment so he could toss the towel in the hamper. The clothing, however…Touma had no idea what to do with it. Kento’s clothing was a mess, covered in dirt, and his coat was in need of mending, but…how did the swordsmen do their laundry? Were their coats able to be laundered in a washing machine? Or did they wash things by hand? He truly did not know, and he didn’t want to bother Kento with such a ridiculous question at the moment. He could find out later, or perhaps call Ogami-san. For the moment, he hung everything up on a sturdy hanger, and zipped a garment bag around it, before hanging it on the rack that served as his “closet” in the small bedroom area of the apartment.

When he returned, the bowl and glass were empty, and Kento looked to be falling asleep at the table, so Touma guided him back behind the folding screen that separated his bedroom from the rest of the apartment. Kento all but fell into bed, and Touma tucked the covers up around him, turning off the lights, except for one small lamp that he left on its dimmest setting, so Kento wouldn’t wake up panicked during the night.

Touma cleaned up the dishes as quietly as he could, decided he’d just take a shower in the morning so he wouldn’t risk disturbing Kento, and then he got comfortable at the kotatsu. He wasn’t exactly in perfect condition himself after all of the back-to-back fights, he realized, as his eyes closed and he slipped almost immediately into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Touma woke before his alarm went off, blinking bleary eyes as the past day’s events came back to him. Kento had been quiet all night, so Touma hoped that meant he had gotten some of the restorative, deep sleep he so desperately needed. He very quickly and quietly grabbed a change of clothes, thankful that Kento seemed to continue sleeping through his rummaging, before ducking into the bathroom to shower and change. He hoped Kento would be all right on his own today…Touma had to open the bookshop up before long, and he couldn’t help but think back to the last time he’d left Kento resting in the apartment while he’d worked. 

It had only been a handful of days prior, but it felt like an eternity. So much had happened…and so much would only continue to happen, until Calibur was defeated for good. Touma knew that would be a feat in itself, but he felt as though Kento wouldn’t be able to heal until Kamijou Daichi was gone. Nothing would be able to wipe away Kento’s terrible, traumatic memories of everything that man had done to him, but surely knowing that he couldn’t harm him again would bring some peace to his friend. Touma would do anything to erase that haunted look from his eyes.

Touma shook his head abruptly, gathering up his pajamas and towel, and stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes widening slightly when he noticed that his bed was empty, and Kento was nowhere to be seen.

_No, no, not again!_

Touma stuffed everything into the hamper, preparing to rush out of the apartment and head straight for the Book Gate, when he stopped dead in his tracks. Kento hadn’t left—he was sitting at the kotatsu, still wearing the T-shirt and sweatpants he’d changed into after his bath the previous night. 

And, laying across the kotatsu’s surface, were Ikazuchi, and Kento’s three Wonder Ride Books.

Touma dropped down to the floor across from Kento, about to open his mouth and speak, when Kento held up a hand. 

“Don’t worry…I’m not going to try to convince you that I can go out and fight,” Kento said, a weak smile tugging at his lips. “I still can’t grip anything with my left hand, and swinging a sword one-handed isn’t happening. I know…I know what I did over the past few days was foolish, and I know I came dangerously close to dying. Believe me…I don’t want to experience that again.”

“Kento…”

“Ogami-san called while you were in the shower. The others are meeting to try and come up with a plan, and he asked me to have you get there when you can. He’s not expecting you immediately,” Kento added, as Touma began to get to his feet. “I told him I needed to talk to you first.”

Kento took a moment, as if trying to figure out exactly how to say what was on his mind, before he finally looked up and met Touma’s gaze. “I want you to use Ikazuchi and Lamp Do Alangina, along with Rekka and Brave Dragon.” As he’d figured, he saw Touma draw in a breath, as if about to protest, and he held his hand up again. “Not forever. I know…it’s going to be a while before I’m well enough to fight again. I can’t just leave Ikazuchi sitting, unused, all that time. Daishinji-san would cry. I just…I feel like you’ll need all the help you can get. This way…if you’re using these, it’s almost like I’m there, fighting by your side. I couldn’t defeat Calibur alone, but you beat him last time. I doubt it was permanent. It feels like he’s still out there. Even if this is the only way I can help you right now…”

Kento picked up the Lamp Do Alangina Book, reaching over to press it into Touma’s hand, folding his fingers over the Book. “You saved my life. So…let me do what I can to help protect _yours_.”

Perhaps Kento’s words were a bit clumsy, but Touma somehow knew what he was trying to say, and he managed to smile and nod.

“If you would…I’d like Ren to have Needle Hedgehog for now. I feel like that would work best with his fighting style. And Tri Cerberus would suit Ogami-san.”

Touma nodded. “I’ll pass them along.”

Perhaps it was Touma’s imagination, but he could have sworn that Kento’s fingers weakly squeezed his own for just a moment before he let go, getting to his feet.

“How are you feeling? You don’t look quite as shaky as you did yesterday,” Touma asked, gathering up the Books.

“The salts did as much as they could. I’m far from feeling perfect, but I do feel a bit better,” Kento replied.

“Good…that’s good. Help yourself to whatever you’d like to eat, or drink, and try to rest a bit more. I guess I’d better put a note on the shop door that we’re closed for the day, and then head to the base,” Touma mused.

Kento sighed softly, wishing for a moment that he could at least be a part of the meeting, but…no. Everyone would fuss, surely, and probably send him right back through the Gate. And with good reason, he realized, when he excused himself to use the bathroom, and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was still much paler than he should be, and even sleeping as well as he had—which in itself had been a rarity—he still had dark circles under his eyes. He felt a bit shaky, but hoped that could be taken care of by having some breakfast and relaxing as much as he could manage.

It was a surprise when he stepped back into the living room and found that Touma was still there, and for a moment, he couldn’t help but worry that something was wrong.

But then, Touma was holding a book out to him, and Kento’s eyes widened slightly as he recognized the pop-up book in his hands. His held his hands out, carefully accepting the book from Touma, swearing he could still feel traces of the warm summer sun on his skin, from those nostalgic days when they would spend hours reading and playing together. 

“I know you’re worried, and there’s really no way to know what’s happening from here. I have a feeling we’ll be going out to fight today. But I promise I’ll be back.”

Kento couldn’t help but clutch the book against his chest, his mind adrift with childhood memories in that moment, and when Touma held out his pinkie, Kento didn’t think twice as he extended his own, the digits curling together to seal that promise.

And then, Kento watched as Touma drew his hand closer, his lips brushing softly against his knuckles, their eyes meeting for just a moment, before Touma turned and left.

He would be all right, Kento told himself. Touma was strong and fearless, and he had Ikazuchi with him. 

He could feel it, too. With that giant book hovering over the city, it was only a matter of time before dark forces made their move. The swordsmen would definitely be going into battle today.

Kento couldn’t help but send a silent prayer up to whoever was listening, to watch over and protect Touma.

*

Touma had expected the surprised looks that the others directed at him when he arrived at the base, holding Ikazuchi tightly. Before anyone could voice their concerns, he simply stated, “Kento…wants to be with us, in some way, when we go out to fight today. Ogami-san…”

Touma took a step forward, placing Tri Cerberus into the older swordsman’s hand, and he nodded in understanding.

With that, he turned to Ren, handing him Needle Hedgehog, watching the younger man’s lip press together, before he nodded, his fingers tightening around the Book.

“I believe we can finish this today. For Kento’s sake…for everyone in the city,” Touma stated, his voice soft, as he looked down at the Lamp Do Alangina Book.

“Let’s get out there, then,” Ogami said, glancing over at Daishinji, who was staring at the console in the center of the room. “Come join us as soon as that new Book is ready. We’ll do what we can until then.”

Their expressions were determined as they left the base, holding Kento’s treasures close, vowing to use the items he’d entrusted to them with all of their might, so they could put an end to this evil plot.

Rintaro lingered as he pulled his coat on over his heavily bandaged chest, asking Daishinji to let the new Wonder Ride Book be his. This way, he, too, would have extra power to fight his hardest in Kento’s name. He didn’t hesitate in handing his Books over to Daishinji, praying that Touma and the others would be able to hold their own until the new Book was completed.

*

“Kento…let’s save the world together.”

*

It was impossible, Kento thought, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. There was simply no way he would be able to rest _or_ relax today, not with the threat hanging over the city, not while he wondered if his friends were fighting, if they were all right, if they were winning.

Kento rose from the bed, feeling his tired body protesting once again, but he simply could not help himself. He went over to the window that faced the city, and peered out. It was foolish…he wouldn’t be able to see anything from here, would he? 

But no, he did see something, something that made his blood run cold. 

The giant book over the city was opening.

Just like 15 years ago, when everything went so terribly wrong, when Luna was pulled into the book and lost, perhaps forever. When his father sided with the Megido as they launched their attack on the city, turning his back on the Sword Of Logos for reasons that still remained unknown.

He couldn’t stay still any longer. Anxiety seemed to suddenly flare in his chest, and for a moment, it was difficult to breathe.

_Touma…!_

He couldn’t go out into the city, not as wounded as he was. And he was unarmed. It would be suicide to go out there right now, but he needed to know what was happening..!

Then it hit him. There was something in the base, wasn’t there? Some way to see what was happening. He’d overheard Mei talking about it, how she’d seen what had happened when Rintaro had been wounded by Calibur. If he could figure out what it was…he would be safe in the base, but at least he would know what was happening!

It wasn’t that far…and there was a Gate just downstairs in the bookshop.

His mind made up, Kento scooped up the storybook, shoving his feet into a pair of Touma’s sandals, and began to make his way down the stairs to the bookshop. Even that short jaunt seemed to drain him more than it had a few days prior, but it wasn’t far now. He just had to reach the door that acted as a Book Gate, and he’d be in the Northern Base. Then just a few steps to the main room. He could do this. 

Never had such a short distance felt like such an ordeal as it did that day, Kento realized, and by the time he stumbled through the Gate into the base—quite literally stumbling, and he came closer than he would have liked to falling to the floor—he could feel the sweat beading on his brow.

He knew the others would yell at him when they returned. He was pushing himself too hard, he was still too wounded. But he would accept their scolding when they returned, because they would all be there. Weary and exhausted, but they would be alive.

That thought kept him moving forward into the main room, and he couldn’t help but feel relieved that there was already a display of the city over the console in the middle of the bookcases, shining brightly from a book that had been left next to the empty cranny where Daishinji had surely been busy creating a new Book.

And he arrived just in time to watch Saber fly after Calibur, disappearing into the huge book that hovered over the city, and he swore he stopped breathing at that moment. 

*

“Those who lack resolve should just submit!”

*

Kento staggered, barely able to catch the side of the console to hold himself upright, and for a moment, he thought that the darkness that had nearly consumed him had returned. That pain would forever be etched into his mind; there was nothing else like it. 

But when he saw no tendrils of darkness rising off his body, he sucked in a shaky breath.

Touma…he had gone after Calibur. No…Touma couldn’t have fallen against him. Touma was strong…he couldn’t..!

Kento squeezed his eyes shut. “Touma…”

“No…the ending of this story isn’t set in stone. It _can_ be changed. Kento is proof of that.”

Kento’s eyes opened in surprise when he heard Touma’s voice, and he was startled to find himself standing before Touma. Was this…the inside of that book in the sky? But that wasn’t important right now, he realized, as Touma turned to look at him, his face surely mirroring the surprise on Kento’s own.

“There’s something you have to do, isn’t there?” Kento asked, holding his hand out to Touma, the familiar feeling of his lightning dancing around his body. “You can win, Touma. I believe in your strength…and I’m here with you.”

Touma’s hand reached for his, and Kento swore for a moment that he could feel it in his own…

Then his eyes were opening again, and he found himself in the base, as if he had never left. But perhaps he hadn’t. Perhaps…he had only sent a fraction of his power to Touma, to help him through this.

But whatever had happened, the anxiety in his chest lessened, and he was able to look back at the projection that the book was showing of the others in the city, fighting the Megido, even as Rintaro raced off to take care of the pillars of light.

They would win.

*

Touma’s hand closed around Ikazuchi as he reappeared, staring down a startled Kamijou Daichi.

“The darkness should have consumed you!”

“Kento…my friend saved me! Just as I saved him.”

*

“What corrupted Fukamiya Hayato…was the Sword Of Logos.”

Touma felt his eyes widen in surprise as Kamijou spoke of that day, 15 years ago. Truly, nothing he said seemed to suddenly enlighten Touma on anything that had transpired that day. All he knew for certain now was that Kamijou had indeed cut Kento’s father down that day…and, for whatever reason, he believed that Logos was responsible. He spoke of having a duty to expose who had turned his friend into a demon. To reveal the truth.

Touma did not know how much, if any, of this was true, but this needed to end today. _Now_. When he returned home, he could discuss this with the other swordsmen, particularly Ogami and Daishinji. They had all fought alongside one another in the past…perhaps they could make sense of it together.

But that would have to be later. Now, Touma thought, as he prepared to transform once again…now, he needed to stop this monster once and for all. 

The man who had haunted Kento’s nightmares, and even his waking hours, for the past six years. 

The man who had so casually spoken about forcing himself on Touma’s dearest friend.

Touma remembered the way Kento had told him everything, how he had sobbed in his arms for so long.

He gripped Brave Dragon and Lamp Do Alangina tightly, then transformed.

When he took Calibur down, it would be with Kento’s help. 

Even as they fought, Kamijou continued to talk about how he needed to obtain the power to find out who the true enemy in the guild was, as well as defeat them, even if it cost the lives of everyone in the city, and Kento’s own. “That is my resolve!”

But Touma’s belief in his friends, that working together to figure out who the enemy was, was stronger, and with the power of Dragonic Knight, Calibur finally fell.

“I determine how this story ends…it’s already been rewritten,” Touma gasped.

Kamijou managed a weak snort of derision. “Just because you saved that boy, doesn’t mean you can change the world. I wonder if he even wanted to be saved? Don’t you think you’re only subjecting him to further pain?”

Touma frowned, and Kamijou chuckled. “Every day for the rest of his life, he’ll remember how his father snuck into his room the night he turned 18.”

“How do you..?”

“Fool. Hayato…was long dead by that night. _I_ was the one who claimed Kento that very night.”

Touma’s eyes went wide, and his fingers tightened around Ikazuchi’s hilt.

“That kind of magic isn’t beyond me. I knew how much that boy missed Hayato. Of course he would want him there, on the day he became a man.” A small smirk crossed Kamijou’s lips. “Of course his guard would be lowered, when he was face-to-face with someone long missing, who was so dear to him. It was simple to get close enough to him, so we could consummate our love.”

Touma felt his stomach turn at Kamijou’s words. “What you did to Kento…he didn’t want any of it! You forced him to..!”

A dreamy look crossed Kamijou’s face, and Touma knew he wasn’t hearing a word he said. “He was mine. Only ever mine, after that night. I had such plans for him, once the darkness overtook him…but you had to interfere, and steal my sweet Kento from my grasp.” 

“Shut up…”

And Kamijou suddenly went silent, as the tip of a blade protruded from his chest, and Touma’s wide eyes took in the form of Desast from behind the former swordsman. But before he could do anything, the world began to tilt alarmingly, and he knew that the others would be doing everything they could to keep that book from opening fully.

Which meant he needed to escape, and _now_.

He didn’t notice Desast recovering a Book from Kamijou’s jacket pocket. He didn’t see the way that Kurayami, or any of Calibur’s items, vanished without a trace.

Touma had already taken to the sky and headed back the way he came, with haste.

Just a fraction of a second before the book would have closed, he shot out into the sky, and he swore he could hear his friends all sigh in collective relief, even though he was miles up in the sky.

That had been too close.

*

Kento smiled when he saw Saber fly out of the book before it closed and vanished, relief on his face. Every last bit of energy that had been holding him upright seemed to give out right then, and he found himself sinking to the floor, still cradling the pop-up book against his chest.

_Thank goodness…Touma is all right. They’re _all_ safe. Thank goodness…_

*

Touma’s thoughts were reeling over Kamijou’s final words, his terrible admission. This…it didn’t change everything, but it at least meant that Kento’s father had never touched him. He was innocent of that, at least. But…god…should he tell him the rest? 

That thought was wiped from his mind as he opened the door to the main room, and the first thing he saw was Kento slumped against the console, and his heart thudded painfully in his chest, even as he and the others cried out in alarm. 

What was Kento even _doing_ here? Had someone attacked and left him as a warning? Touma’s thoughts were frantic as he tugged Kento up, trying to examine him for any wounds while simultaneously trying to not jostle him more than absolutely necessary, in case he _was_ wounded.

A brief expression of pain crossed Kento’s face, before his eyes were slowly fluttering open, and Touma felt tears stinging at his eyes. “Kento, what happened? Are you all right?”

Kento made a soft sound, and his expression suddenly looked to be one of embarrassment. “I…needed to know what was happening…I only came here to make sure…that you were all ok.” His eyes met Touma’s. “I saw you fly into the book…I was afraid…”

“It’s ok. It was tough, but I made it. I swore that…I could feel you sending me your strength,” Touma admitted, then his eyes went wide. “Is that why you’re so weakened?”

“Kento, you’ve gotta quit pushing yourself like this,” Ogami said, trying to sound firm, but Kento could see the worry in his eyes, and he couldn’t help but mumble an apology.

“He’s gone now, Kento. For good this time,” Touma murmured, close to his ear.

The words came as a shock, and Kento couldn’t help but close his eyes in relief. “Good…thank goodness…”

Then he was sagging heavily against Touma, and there were more sounds of alarm before they were able to determine that Kento had merely passed out. Touma gathered him up, and Rintaro offered to help bring him back—which Touma nearly laughed at, since Mei was helping to keep Rintaro upright at that moment, but that would have been rude.

In the end, Ogami helped Touma bring him back through the Gate, and they managed to carry him up the stairs and get him back into bed. It had taken a bit of work to extract the storybook from Kento’s arms, he was clinging to it so tightly, but after a whispered word, Kento’s grip loosened enough for Touma to wriggle it free.

“This kid…” Ogami grumbled, reaching out to pat Kento’s shoulder, before he turned back to Touma. “I don’t think this is over, not by a longshot, but hopefully the Megido will be regrouping to lick their wounds and make new plans. At least Calibur—or Kamijou-san, at least—is gone. With luck, we’ll have a few days to lick our own wounds,” he stated, clapping Touma’s back. 

Touma nodded, and Ogami told him to rest up, and to make sure Kento stayed in bed to get rest of his own, before taking his leave.

Touma had planned on a nice nap at the kotatsu, but he paused for a moment, looking past the folding screen to watch Kento sleep for a moment.

He would decide what to tell Kento later. After he’d rested, maybe things would seem a bit clearer.


	9. Chapter 9

Touma wasn’t sure of the time, when he heard the soft sounds of Kento stirring and then heading into the bathroom. It was considerably darker in the apartment than it had been before, when he and Ogami-san had brought Kento back and gotten him into bed. Touma had spent quite some time sitting at the kotatsu, then laying on his back, staring at the ceiling, wondering how to tell Kento what he’d learned during that fight with Calibur.

God…even with Kamijou gone, it wasn’t as though that would suddenly erase Kento’s suffering, but Touma _had_ hoped that it would at least begin to ease his friend’s pain.

Finally, Touma rose from where he’d wound up dozing earlier, groaning softly at the ache in his back. Most likely from that fight, he thought, and sleeping awkwardly on the floor hasn’t helped. He switched the kitchen light on and gathered what he would need to make some tea, taking down an extra mug in case Kento decided to join him.

Unsurprisingly, Kento padded into the room a few moments later and took a seat on the small couch, and as much as Touma wanted to shoo him back to bed…well…perhaps this would be the best time to talk to him.

“Do you want some tea?” Touma asked, glad to see Kento nod in response. He definitely needed to see about making some better meals for them both, while Kento was staying with him. Decent meals, instead of the haphazard ingredients Touma usually threw together and called dinner. Better food would be better for Kento, so his body would have plenty of fuel to draw from while he was healing.

Kento was silent while Touma prepared the tea and brought it over to the kotatsu, handing a mug to Kento before he sat on the floor once again. The couch would have been more comfortable, but it would have been encroaching on Kento’s personal space, and Touma didn’t want to alarm him.

It was plain that Kento had something on his mind, judging by the look on his face, and Touma knew it would more than likely have to do with the fight against Calibur. He took a sip of his tea, not wanting to rush into things. 

“He’s…definitely gone this time? You’re certain?”

Kento’s voice was so soft, Touma almost didn’t hear him speak. It was as though Kento feared that speaking too loudly would shatter the illusion of Kamijou being gone, of such a terrible point of his life finally having been cut down.

Touma nodded. “I beat him, but…Desast appeared in there, somehow, and killed him. There’s only my word to go on…after that happened, the book became unstable, since Rintaro and the others were fighting to close it, and I had to escape. I don’t know…I suppose his body, Kurayami and the rest, are all still within that strange between-world space.”

Kento was silent, his eyes downcast at his mug, a myriad of expressions crossing his face as he struggled to process everything.

Touma truly didn’t want to dump more onto Kento’s already overloaded shoulders, and yet…it wouldn’t be right to hold anything back. “There’s…more. Things that he said. If you don’t want to get into it right now, I understand…”

“No. I want to know.”

Touma drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly through his nose. “Some of it might be hard to hear.”

“Please.”

Still, it took a moment for Touma to sort everything in his head, the awful, troubling words that man had uttered, and he prayed that it wouldn’t upset Kento further. He knew it was a hopeless wish, but…

“Kamijou believed that what drove your father to the other side…was the Sword Of Logos.”

Kento’s eyes went wide, and the mug of tea nearly tumbled from his hands. He leaned forward, setting it on the kotatsu’s surface, then slid off the couch and sat across from Touma at the kotatsu, suddenly feeling chilled to the bone. “Why…would he think such a thing..? Do you think he was lying?”

“I don’t know. He claimed he was trying to find who had made his friend become a demon, but…I don’t know how true it was. I don’t know if he actually found proof, or if it was some sort of delusion. But…he admitted to cutting your father down.”

“He said as much to me…”

Touma shook his head. “It happened that day, 15 years ago. He…used magic to disguise himself, he told me, the night you turned 18.” He saw Kento’s face drain of color, and he pressed his lips together, not wanting to say anything further. Surely that was enough! “He sounded…insane, by the end. But I feel that he was definitely telling the truth about your father. Everything else could have quite possibly been…deranged ramblings, trying to make me lower my guard, or trying to anger me by saying things about you…”

Kento was silent, his eyes downcast, and Touma didn’t know what he could say, what he could _do_ , to ease the pain his friend was surely feeling in that moment. Chances were, nothing would be able to help. Kamijou had done a terrible thing, and had continued it over the years, and it had left Kento all but broken.

“At least…at least tou-san was innocent,” Kento finally said, his voice breaking on the last word, his shoulders shaking as he began to sob.

Touma moved his legs out from beneath the kotatsu, planning to go…he didn’t know…downstairs? Into the bathroom? Anywhere would be fine, so he could Kento a few minutes to cry without an audience.

But the moment he began to get up, Kento’s hand shot out and grasped his wrist. “Don’t go. Don’t leave me alone.”

Touma’s heart ached at Kento’s soft plea, but he abandoned his plan, feeling Kento tugging at him, and he slowly moved around the kotatsu toward him. Did he really want him that close..?

His question was answered as Kento moved into his arms, burying his face against Touma’s shirt, his sobs loud and pitiful, and Touma couldn’t help but wrap his arms around him, ready to let go at a moment’s notice if Kento didn’t want the contact.

It only made Kento lean further against him, his sobs barely stifled, and Touma held him close, feeling his own shoulders trembling.

This was so unfair. Even in death, Kamijou Daichi was continuing to haunt Kento, and it was unforgivable.

*

It felt like an eternity before Kento’s tears dried up, his sobs trailing off into soft hiccupping sounds and pitiful whimpers, but the entire time he had refused to let go of Touma. The few times Touma had thought Kento was winding down, or had perhaps fallen asleep, he had tried to carefully extract himself from his friend’s arms, only to have Kento cling to him even more tightly, once again begging Touma to not leave him alone.

And so Touma had stayed put. He’d held Kento, because that seemed to be what he needed so desperately in that moment of weakness. He’d wanted to say “it’ll be all right” and yet those words sounded so worthless. Kento was definitely nowhere near all right, nor would he be for quite some time, if Touma had to guess. Just because the source of his trauma was gone, didn’t mean the trauma itself had magically vanished.

Kento was leaning quite heavily against Touma at that point, and he was beginning to wonder if he’d fallen asleep like this, leaning awkwardly against his friend, sitting on the floor of his apartment. “You should get to bed…at least try to get some sleep,” Touma murmured.

Finally, Kento drew back a bit, his eyes red and puffy from crying, and he looked slightly dazed, most likely from everything that had transpired that day.

“C’mon…” Touma got to his feet, carefully helping Kento up, and steered him in the direction of the bed. “I’ll be right out at the kotatsu if you need anything, ok? It’s got to be late by now, and we both need rest.”

Kento slid beneath the covers, his eyes closing immediately, and for a moment, Touma ached to press a kiss to his forehead, to give him even the smallest amount of comfort, but he chased that thought away immediately. He wouldn’t risk alarming Kento, especially not now that he’d calmed down and already slipped into what looked to be an uneasy slumber. Touma had no doubt that nightmares would be plentiful for Kento that night, and he prayed that they wouldn’t be so bad that his friend wouldn’t be able to rest.

With a soft sigh, Touma went back into the living room, gathering up their mostly untouched mugs of tea and dumping them in the sink. He’d wash them in the morning. Suddenly, he felt completely drained, and he switched the lights off and got comfortable at the kotatsu, falling asleep the moment his head landed on his pillow.

*

It was even later still—what time was it? Where was his cell phone?—when a distressed whine pulled Touma from his slumber. But, thankfully, just a few moments later, he heard a soft gasp as Kento awoke, and he was relieved to not hear his friend weeping. In fact, he sounded quiet enough that he may have fallen right back to sleep.

Touma dozed until the next nightmare came, this one holding Kento in its grasp a bit longer, and he’d been preparing to go wake Kento until he heard him sit up abruptly in the bed, his breathing ragged.

He wished there was something, _anything_ he could do for Kento. Some way to chase these nightmares away, so he could have an unbroken night’s sleep, sleep that he desperately needed.

At some point, they both drifted off.

“No…d-don’t…”

Touma woke the moment those soft words echoed in the apartment, and he sat up abruptly. 

“Please…please, stop..!”

Touma began to slowly get to his feet. This nightmare seemed to have its tendrils deep in Kento, and he felt that he’d need to intervene, if Kento didn’t wake up in the next few seconds.

“Touma…help me…”

It wasn’t far at all to the bed, but Kento’s sounds of distress intensified, and Touma felt as though his friend were on the verge of screaming if he wasn’t woken up. “Kento,” he said, once he’d reached his bedside, his voice just loud and firm enough that he hoped it would draw Kento out of whatever horror he was being forced to relive. “Kento, wake up. You’re safe…it’s just a nightmare.”

He’d barely finished speaking when Kento woke up, drawing in a breath like a man who had been drowning and had just broken the water’s surface.

Then Kento’s hands were reaching out, grabbing handfuls of Touma’s shirt and pulling him closer, so Touma wound up sitting rather abruptly on the mattress, not even having a moment to right himself before he once again found himself with an armful of Kento. He hesitantly put an arm around Kento, waiting to see if he would welcome the contact, and when he wasn’t pushed away, he gently ran his hand across Kento’s back. Kento’s muffled sobs broke his heart, and he couldn’t help but whisper, “You’re safe. I’m right here.”

He continued holding Kento, not certain if he dozed off a few times, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty about that. He couldn’t help his body’s needs, however, and what it needed was rest. Kento’s too, surely, as he felt his friend beginning to relax against him once again.

“Here…get comfortable before you fall asleep,” Touma said, keeping his voice soft so as not to disturb Kento.

Everything was fine until Touma tried to move away, at which point Kento wound up grabbing onto his shirt again, and no matter what, he couldn’t be convinced to let go.

“Kento…if you don’t let go of me, I’m going to have to get in the bed with you. Is that going to be ok?” Touma finally asked. He would have been content to sleep on the floor beside the bed, like a faithful dog protecting his master, but he needed to rest. It wasn’t an option any longer; he felt as though he were about to drop.

Much to his surprise, Kento made a soft sound of affirmation, and scooted over far enough so Touma would have room to lay down beside him. His hands remained fisted in Touma’s shirt, however, and once Touma had gotten himself comfortable, Kento slid closer, curled up much closer to Touma than he would have imagined his friend to be comfortable with.

Touma draped an arm over Kento, hearing him sigh softly, sounding so relieved, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Kento only whimpered in his sleep once during the remainder of the night, his body trembling slightly, and without even opening his eyes, Touma reached for Kento’s hand, his fingers wrapping around it and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m right here,” he whispered, and he felt the tension leave Kento’s body, his breathing evening out in moments as he fell back into an undisturbed sleep.

Then Touma was drifting off into a contented slumber, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so comfortable and warm.


	10. Chapter 10

When Kento woke the next morning, pulled from a restless slumber by the sound of Touma’s alarm going off, he couldn’t help but start when he realized how close they both were. He was still curled up so close to Touma, and he found himself unable to look away as Touma blinked bleary eyes open. He watched those same eyes immediately widen in surprise, even as Touma quickly—yet gently, Kento realized—slipped away so he could silence the alarm.

“Sorry…I…last night, you said it was ok if I got into the bed with you..”

“I remember,” Kento murmured. “It just took me by surprise, that’s all.”

Touma still sat there, perched on the edge of the bed, looking as if he wanted to say something. Most likely another apology for getting into the bed, even though Kento remembered waking up from the tendrils of a horrifying dream, the way he’d clung to Touma like a lifeline. He recalled Touma quietly saying he’d need to get in the bed with him if he kept holding on to him, and Kento, so weary and not willing to let Touma move away, had allowed him to do so. On any other occasion—especially after Touma had shared what Kamijou had told him, after such dark and terrifying nightmares that the discussion had brought about, nightmares Kento couldn’t even recall—that closeness would have been far too much for him. But Touma had felt so comforting, so warm and familiar, so _safe_ , Kento couldn’t have imagined pushing him away. 

Just that once…it was all right, wasn’t it?

“I don’t know how much they’ll want to hear it, but…I’m going to the base before I open the shop for the day, and I’m going to tell them what Kamijou said. I still have no idea if any of it is true, but they need to know. If there’s even a chance that there’s a double agent within Logos…”

Kento nodded. “I understand. I want to believe that he was lying, but even after 15 years, no one has been able to figure out what drove tou-san to betray the guild.”

“Even if there’s no truth to what Kamijou said, I hope that they— _we_ —can figure things out. You deserve the closure…and then maybe your father can rest peacefully.”

Kento pressed his lips together, trying to fight back the tears that prickled at his eyes. True, his father had gone against them, had worked alongside of the enemy on that fateful days for reasons unknown. But it was his _father_. Kento had been praying for answers for years, so things might make some semblance of sense. He couldn’t help but remember the days when his parents had both been alive…they’d been so happy back then. Of course, he’d been a child, and had made faces or grossed-out noises every time his father had kissed his mother before he’d leave on a mission, or simply before going to the market, or to the base.

Had her death perhaps pushed his father to do something he normally wouldn’t, abandoning his comrades and his own son?

Kento closed his eyes, sighing softly. What he wouldn’t give to speak to his father once more, even for just a half an hour. He just wanted to finally know _why_. It was a great relief to know that his father had not been the one who had forced himself on him the night he’d turned 18, but Kento still wanted to know what had changed, to make his father throw everything away.

“Kento?”

Kento opened his eyes, and Touma was still there, a look of concern on his face, his hand hovering as if he’d been reaching for Kento and then had thought better of it. Kento shook his head, trying to knock all of these troublesome thoughts loose. “I’m all right. Just a bit lost in thought. Go ahead and talk to them. If there’s time before you open the shop, can you tell me what happened?”

“Of course. If I can’t make it then, I’ll come back up for lunch. I’ll keep you in the loop, don’t worry,” Touma said, with what he hoped was a reassuring smile, before he grabbed a change of clothes and took a quick shower.

When he emerged, Kento was laying back in bed, staring up at the ceiling, no doubt trying to puzzle things out, and Touma called a soft farewell to him, before heading out of the apartment and downstairs to the bookshop.

Kento was understandably confused when Touma returned just a few minutes later, a perplexed look on his face and an envelope in his hand. “What happened?”

“The Book Gate…isn’t there anymore. It's gone back to being a shelf, like before...and this was sitting pretty prominently on it,” Touma explained, holding up the envelope. 

Kento frowned. That shouldn’t have happened. How was Touma supposed to get to the base now? He couldn’t help the anxiety that swirled in the pit of his stomach…had the base been invaded? Had someone shut down the Gate and left…what…a ransom note? No, that would be foolish; if something had happened, then why wouldn’t they have been attacked as well? They were both swordsmen, even if Kento was out of commission and Touma wasn’t official. They would most likely be the easiest ones to take out, Kento thought with a shiver.

Touma opened the envelope while Kento was lost in thought, scanning through the short note it contained, and he made a soft sound of confusion, handing the note to Kento wordlessly.

_Kamiyama Touma,_

_It has been brought to our attention that you are withholding information from the order of Logos, and until such time that this matter is resolved, your access to the Northern Base had been revoked._

Kento’s brow furrowed as he read the note, then read it once again. Whose handwriting was this? And, more importantly, what were they talking about?

“I don’t understand any of this. Do they mean what Calibur told me, after I chased him into the book? I haven’t even had a chance to talk to them about any of that, since Ogami-san insisted that we rest.”

“More importantly, how would anyone else know that he told you anything?” Kento mused, frowning. “No one else was present when you fought him. And they can’t just close you out like this. You’re a swordsman, too.”

“There’s not much that I can do about it, though. I don’t know exactly how Rintaro opened that Gate in the first place...that was the same day I first became Saber, and everything was pretty overwhelming.”

“He’s not the only one that knows how to open a Book Gate,” Kento said, tossing back the covers and rising from the bed. He was thankful that he didn’t feel shaky as he walked over to the garment bag where Touma had placed his clothing, grimacing at the condition of his coat and robe, then decided to just wear his usual shirt and pants. They weren’t in perfect condition, but they were acceptable. Perhaps he wouldn’t be fully in uniform, but he refused to go to the base at that moment in anything casual. He wanted to look put-together, even if he felt far from it. He did briefly reach into his coat's inner pocket, withdrawing the Book Gate book that each of the swordsmen had in their possession in case of emergencies, before stepping away.

“H-hey, Kento, you shouldn’t...you need to be resting…” Touma stammered, trailing off when Kento took his clothing and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. The minutes ticked by, and Touma wondered if he should knock and check on his friend’s well-being, when the door opened again, and Kento stepped out.

“Something’s going on, Touma. I’m not going to just sit here when something could be happening at the base. I can reopen the Book Gate, and then, I want answers from whoever closed it in the first place.” Kento trailed off, glancing at the note once again. “There’s definitely something off. I can’t explain it right now, but…please, trust me when I say that nobody would just close a Gate like that, regardless of suspicions. It’s not how we work.” 

Finally, Touma managed a short nod. “When we go in, though, let me go first. Just in case…if something happened, or there was an attack…if there’s someone waiting for us…”

The unexpected chivalry took Kento off guard for a moment, until he realized that it would be the best option, given his current condition. If there _was_ a fight waiting for them, he truly didn’t know what would happen. Surely in a life-threatening moment, Touma would give him Ikazuchi and his Book, but would Kento be able to use them? He tried making a fist with his left hand again, and as before, he could barely get his fingers to close.

As if following Kento’s train of thought, Touma murmured, “I won’t let anyone harm you.” But as he finished speaking, he handed over Lamp Do Alengina and Ikazuchi. “I hope you don’t need to use these.”

Kento hoped the very same thing, but he couldn’t deny how strange the note and the sudden deactivation of the Book Gate was.

Once Kento slid his feet into his boots, they headed down the stairs to the shop, and they paused at the shelf that had, until recently, been the Book Gate. Kento took the Book Gate book from his pocket, opening it, and he could feel the magic reactivating before the shelf swirled away into the shape of a door. Good. At least whoever had closed the Gate hadn’t blocked any further attempts to open a new one. Which, in itself, was strange; the other swordsmen knew Kento was there. They knew he would be able to open a new Gate. 

“This really is strange,” Kento murmured. When Touma made a soft questioning sound, Kento continued, “It serves no purpose to close the Gate, when I can easily reopen it. It’s almost as though whoever closed it didn’t know I’m here.” His frown deepened, fingers tightening around Ikazuchi’s hilt as he glanced back at Touma. “Are you ready?”

Touma nodded, stepping in front of Kento and grasping the doorknob, before slowly drawing it open, and they both stepped through, finding themselves in the Northern Base just seconds later. Touma drew Rekka, and Kento fell in step behind him as they headed toward the main room, apprehensive as to what they would find once they opened those double doors. Were their companions injured? Or worse, would they find their bodies? 

Neither knew what to expect, but it certainly hadn’t been to see Rintaro, Ren, Ogami, and Daishinji deep in discussion when they entered the room. Had it not been for the note and the Book Gate vanishing, it would have been much like any ordinary day at the base.

At least, until the swordsmen turned to face them, and Kento noticed the strange look in their eyes. Rintaro and Ren, especially, he noticed; they both looked as though they were on the cusp of drawing their weapons and leaping into battle. Ogami and Daishinji stood back, more like they were observing, but something in their eyes looked conflicted, if Kento had to put a word to it.

Kento stepped past Touma, plucking the envelope from his hand, and held it up for the others to see. “What is the meaning of this?”

“It’s good that you found your way here, Kento,” Rintaro stated. “We would have come to retrieve you regardless. It’s best that you finish recovering here at the base. This is where you belong, after all.”

Twin looks of confusion crossed Kento and Touma’s faces. “What..?”

Rintaro’s then gaze shifted to Touma. “Kamiyama Touma…I must insist that you turn over Rekka and all of your Wonder Ride Books. We cannot have someone wielding a sacred sword who is withholding information from us.” 

“And Kento-kun should be here with _us_ while he’s healing,” Ren suddenly piped up, taking a step forward, reaching out to grab Kento’s wrist. 

Kento managed to tamp down his panic at being grabbed so aggressively, at Ren’s sudden closeness and the anger that was rolling off him in waves. “What are you talking about? You all asked me if I would rather be here, or at Touma’s, when Ogami-san insisted I stay bedridden until I finish healing.” Kento looked past the younger swordsman, seeking out Ogami’s gaze, which quickly lowered. “Isn’t that right, Ogami-san? And you insisted that Touma rest after that recent battle…so how was he supposed to have told you what happened within that book, when he hasn’t had a moment to be here after he brought me back to his apartment?”

An odd look crossed Ogami’s face, but he said nothing.

“You belong _here_ , Kento-kun! It’s like he’s trying to separate you from us,” Ren continued, his fingers digging into Kento’s skin in a manner that was bordering on painful.

Kento managed to yank his arm free, meeting Ren’s gaze steadily. “You all know exactly where I am, and how to get there. There’s a Book Gate right there, to Touma’s shop. You could have come to see me, if you were that worried. I went with Touma so I wouldn’t be underfoot here. Nobody ever said that you couldn’t come visit.”

He then met Rintaro’s gaze. “And why are you suddenly insisting that Touma give up his sword? Even if he’s not formally a swordsman, he’s one of us. We three promised to protect the world, remember? We’re a team…and he’s fighting for me, as well, while I can’t go out into battle. Are you going to demand that I give up Ikazuchi as well?”

Something in Rintaro’s steady gaze shifted, and suddenly, he didn’t look as sure as he had a moment prior, and Kento pressed on. “Do you remember that day, when you said I wasn’t acting for the greater good of the guild? When you said I should return my sword?” With that, Kento held Ikazuchi out, the blade facing downward, even as he heard Touma’s sounds of protest. “If this is what it means to be a swordsman—to gang up on someone because they aren’t properly one of us, despite having worked alongside of us all this time when he had no obligation to, despite the fact that Touma _saved my life_ —then maybe I don’t want to be one any longer.”

The room went silent, but Kento didn’t move. The strain of holding Ikazuchi was beginning to take its toll on him, and his arm began to shake ever so slightly, but his gaze remained locked on Rintaro, as if inviting him to make the next move.

“Touma isn’t working against us. He didn’t _have_ to take up Rekka, but he did so he could fight to protect the world. He’s done so much for us, saved so many lives, including my own. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for Touma,” Kento said, his voice suddenly going soft. “If Touma hadn’t been here, I would have disappeared that day, consumed by the darkness. Maybe I would be dead, or maybe worse than dead. His intentions were so strong and pure, they saved my life. Ogami-san, Daishinji-san, I heard you talking in the hallway that day, and you said the same thing. Touma made a miracle happen. I want to know the truth behind Calibur’s intentions as much as any of you. Maybe even moreso. My father lost his life because of Calibur, because of…we don’t even _know_ why. But if you’re going to act like this, then I want no part of it. I can find answers on my own if I have to.”

Kento’s arm was visibly shaking by the time Rintaro finally blinked, giving his head a shake as if knocking cobwebs loose. “What…why was I…this isn’t right…”

The others looked rather dazed, Touma thought, his eyes flicking from one swordsman to the next. They looked as if they had been unaware of their actions until this very moment.

Almost as though they had been hypnotized, or otherwise controlled by someone.

Rintaro took a step closer to Kento, his hands reaching out, and Touma sucked in a sharp breath, thinking that he was about to call Kento’s bluff and take Ikazuchi from him. 

Rintaro’s hands closed gently around Kento’s, meeting his surprised gaze with a small smile. “No…I can’t take Ikazuchi from you. I said foolish words that day…and today, too, it would seem.”

Touma released the breath in a relieved whoosh, before a sound of alarm left his lips as he watched Kento start to sink to his knees, and the next thing he knew, he was carefully catching Kento in his arms, easing him down onto the floor. “You’re pushing yourself too hard,” he couldn’t help but murmur.

“Did I have a choice?” Kento replied, his voice sounding much weaker than it had just minutes before.

“Too much adrenaline,” Ogami piped up, his hand rubbing at his temple as if trying to work away a persistent headache. “What were we thinking..?”

“Who left this?” Kento asked, nodding at the envelope that Touma still held. “Who insisted that Touma was hiding things from us?”

Everyone looked so lost and confused for a moment, that Touma couldn’t help but worry. Something was definitely wrong; this wasn’t a concern that the swordsmen had had on their own. 

“Reika.”

Ogami’s voice finally broke the silence. “She said you were keeping information, something that had happened when you followed Calibur into the Book.” After a moment, he frowned. “How would she know what happened in there, though? And…I helped you bring Kento back to your apartment, and told you both to rest. You didn’t even have a chance to tell us what, if anything, had happened.”

An embarrassed, guilty look crossed Ogami’s face, and he abruptly bowed. “We had no right to accuse you like this.”

“That’s right, you didn’t,” Kento murmured. “But think about it…why were you all suddenly so bloodthirsty? It’s almost like you were being controlled.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide at the implication, Rintaro’s mouth dropping open in shock.

“But…but she said she was from the Southern Base! She’s given no indication that she’s an enemy…didn’t she give you a Book, Kento? I don’t understand…”

“I don’t either. But, Rintaro…remember the day you were following me? The day I got the call from Reika, where she gave me Calibur’s location, and we arrived and saw Sophia-san there with him?” Kento sighed heavily. “I thought she was conspiring with him, but…how would Reika have known where he was, unless she was working with him?” Several sounds of surprise came from the swordsmen, but Kento held up a shaky hand. “That’s the last time we saw Sophia-san, wasn’t it? What if…all this time, what if Reika has been against us? What if she was behind Sophia-san’s disappearance? What if she was trying to get rid of me, or Rintaro, when she called us there? For all I know, she thinks I’m dead, so Touma wouldn’t have had a way to reopen the Book Gate and come here. What would have happened then? Would you all have gone after him, when another Megido appeared? What if she was trying to sew distrust among us so we would wind up fighting each other?”

Silence descended upon the room, broken only by Kento’s harsh breathing, and no one knew what to say. What to _think_. Was it true? Had they been played for fools by someone they’d just assumed was an ally? 

“This is troubling…” Daishinji murmured. “I wonder if she’s realized that her control over us is broken.”

“We’ll just need to keep our eyes open. Hopefully she doesn’t set foot in here again,” Ogami stated, frowning.

“There _are_ things I need to tell you all, though, that Kamijou said when I fought him. That much was right. But Kento needs to be somewhere where he can rest,” Touma stated, feeling how Kento’s body was shaking from overexertion. 

Before anyone could reply, the double doors to the room were flung open, and everyone was immediately drawing their swords, figuring that Reika had realized that her plan had failed, and had returned to fight. But instead, it was someone in a long cape and a hood that hid their face, and despite not being able to see them, Touma felt like he’d seen this person somewhere before. 

“I am here to save the life of Fukamiya Kento.”

When they lifted their head enough for some of their face to be visible, Touma suddenly placed it. “Ah! You’re…that man from Avalon, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but there’s little time for discussion right now, if I am to save your comrade from the darkness that threatens to overtake him.”

Everyone’s face was a mirror of confusion, and it took a moment for Touma to reply, “I, um…already took care of it.”

The man’s eyes widened rather comically, and he swept over to them, kneeling beside Kento and holding a hand out. His eyes closed briefly, then opened once again. “You tell the truth…the darkness has been entirely dispelled,” he murmured. “That should not be possible.”

“You’re a few days late, anyway,” Ren grumbled.

Either he didn’t hear Ren’s criticism, or he simply chose to ignore it, as he rose to his feet, nodding gravely. “This is good… Fukamiya Kento is vital to the outcome of this story.”

“Story? What do you mean?”

The man shook his head. “I cannot say any more, but there was a critical moment where things could have shifted onto a much darker, more chaotic path.” He frowned, looking around the room. “You’ve dispelled more of it…good. I’m afraid I cannot linger any longer, with things as they are now. It could upset the balance. It is possible we could meet again, but if things continue as they are, perhaps that can be avoided.”

And with that, the man left the room, leaving everyone blinking in confusion and looking at Touma. 

“He…I met him in Avalon, but I didn’t think he could actually leave.” Touma looked entirely confused by everything that had passed, but he shook his head, returning his attention to Kento. “Anyway…I wonder now, will Kento be safe on his own, if I bring him back to my apartment? If the Gate is open again, can’t anybody go through it?”

Daishinji shook his head. “I’ll program it so only the people in this room can pass through it. The next time Mei-san is around, I can alter it to allow her through. That will at least keep anyone who wishes harm from passing through.”

Touma nodded, and he helped Kento up, allowing his friend to lean on him as they made their way to the Gate, and Daishinji did what he needed to enhance the security on it. Touma and Kento then passed through, and Touma slowly and carefully led Kento back upstairs, feeling as though they’d done this far too many times recently. He understood completely why Kento had gone with him to the base today, and deep down, he was thankful that he’d been there to talk sense into the other swordsmen, but still, it wasn’t helping him rest or heal. 

Touma got Kento into bed, pulling the covers up around him, and he murmured, “You really do need to stay put for a while…you look exhausted after that.”

Kento sighed softly. “I know, but I wasn’t going to just sit here when something was so obviously wrong. I’m glad I was able to make them see reason. I trust you, Touma, and I wanted to be sure that they still did, too. I would never believe that you’re working against us. I trust you with my life. I…”

Kento trailed off, and Touma waited for him to continue, but after a few moments, Kento’s eyes closed, effectively ending their conversation.

As Touma headed back down the stairs to the Book Gate, he couldn’t help but wonder what Kento had wanted to say. Deep down, he suspected he knew…and his heart fluttered at the thought.

If he was right…he didn’t mind waiting until Kento felt comfortable enough to say the words on his own. 

The words he’d said to the swordsmen today had been enough to show his feelings, how deeply he trusted Touma.

Trust…and perhaps more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Yuuri, bye Yuuri, we don't need you here, sorry. 
> 
> And with this chapter, I've addressed canon (sort of) and now I can really just go tf OFF and do what I want.


End file.
